《The Twelve Apocalypses: A Damned Soul's Path to the Abyss [BOOK 1 STUBBING IN 2 WEEKS]》


 Chapter 1: The Gates

    People like to imagine that pain has some arbitrary threshold, beyond which your senses blur and you can just sink into numb indifference.


    They are wrong.


    As I floated in the void, unable to move, every single moment of my temporary state was agony. Some force was slowly peeling away everything that came together to make up the very definition of who I was. One painful layer after another, that force was stripping me down to my very core.


    I could feel every change. Every fragment of my being, even as it flaked away, was fully capable of processing everything that was happening.


    The pain was like a white-hot blade, slicing through my essence. It kept me alert and awake and pointed in a single direction. A presence. Large, overwhelming, and so very, very hungry.


    It lorded over my painful reality, readily slurping away whenever a little slice of my essence came loose. With no doubt in my mind, I could tell that once the presence was done amusing itself, I would disappear, completely and utterly.


    I was desperate. I would do anything. Burn the world down. Sacrifice anything and anyone. Anything to get away from the pain. Or better yet, to flee from that unholy presence.


    That was when my surroundings shimmered. A vague silhouette of a man beckoned me from the other side of the presence. I latched on like a drowning man, struggling with all my might to avoid my fate.


    And somewhere, somehow, something heard my prayers. I could somehow wiggle. That clinched it. Normally, I¡¯d double and triple check before diving in. For now, all caution was thrown to the wind. I dived towards the silhouette, and¡­


    My eyes blinked open. I was sprawled on my stomach on hard, rocky ground.


    Then I looked up.


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    The unintelligent sound escaped my mouth on its own. Not a hard thing to justify when the first thing I saw after untold ages of torment was the angry face of a monster, looming mere inches away.


    The monster had chalk-white skin and eyes that were black pools, deeper than any tar I ever knew. Its angry expression deepened into a scowl as I stared into its face. Before I could even begin to process anything, a heavy blow landed on the back of my skull. My face bounced off the ground, hard.


    I saw stars. My head was in agony. Still, after the unspeakable torture of having my essence slowly stripped away, feeling physical pain was almost a relief.


    ¡°Damn it all, wasting my bloody time!¡± the monster growled. ¡°If you¡¯ve made it through, then keep moving. I don¡¯t fucking need you holding shit up.¡±


    Its chalk-white hand grabbed the front of my shirt, dragging me up. For a moment I dangled, then it released me to totter on my feet. I only barely kept my balance.


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± I managed to slur the words instinctively, and they actually seemed to defuse some of the thing¡¯s anger.


    It ¡ª no, he scoffed, waving something at my face. ¡°Move.¡±


    I did as I was told, but also managed to get a closer look at the item he held in his other hand. It was a necklace. Some sort of choker, really, like one would put on a prized pit-bull just to play up the species¡¯ supposed aggression and fierceness. It seemed to be made of some kind of red metal. Sharp-looking spikes jutted out of it in every direction, except at the front, where there was a blank plate.


    I tried to keep looking straight ahead. The instincts that drove my body onwards insisted that glancing around would be a bad idea. Despite that, I still caught a glimpse of what was happening.


    There were lines of tough men and women, all in their early twenties, stretched away on either side into what seemed like infinity. At the head of each row stood a monster, though they varied in color, shape, and even size. Most were decidedly humanoid, like my chalk-white, tar-eyed friend, but that only made them more intimidating. Their job, if it could be called that, was to drive a ball of red energy into those at the front of the line.


    A short-distance beyond the monsters were a series of booths, each containing one bored-looking clerk. They weren¡¯t doing much, considering they only had to process about one in five of the people who found their way to the monsters. The other four would fall, flail, foam at the mouth, and then lie still.


    It hurt to try and understand everything. My head was still pounding from experiencing intimate contact with the ground. I tried to work on the question of why some people were standing back up while others on the ground were collared and dragged away. Before I could make any progress, a voice interrupted me.


    ¡°Hrm, looked close, eh?¡± The red-tinted clerk spoke up when I reached him, shooting me such a vicious look that I was tempted to flinch. When I didn¡¯t, he gave a small smile. ¡°Not entirely useless, then. Hand.¡±


    Numbly, I raised my right arm. The clerk gripped it with his left hand. Grinning even more maniacally, he raised a stamp and brought it down on my flesh.


    The only thing that kept me from screaming was instinct. It was like a voice had suddenly surfaced in my brain, whispering advice. Make noise, and they¡¯ll only hurt you worse. Withstand it. Let it pass. Move on by meeting their tests perfectly, and claim your rightful place.


    The thoughts were all extremely helpful as they pushed their way through my mind. They were also distinctly not mine.


    And the instinctive thoughts were not alone. They brought with them a flood of scattered memories, each one almost overwhelming. I could smell the despair, taste the sweat, and feel the tears. Each memory came with its own emotion, overwhelming my mental barriers. In those memories, I had passed far worse challenges, knowing I would die if I succumbed.


    To be silent while a leering bureaucratic sadist drove a burning brand into your skin? According to my new memories, that was child¡¯s play.


    The memories also helpfully identified the race of my tormentors. These weren¡¯t generic monsters. These were demons.


    When the demon clerk in front of me pulled away his diabolical stamp, he shot me a look of deep disappointment. A memory surfaced. Someone screaming in pain and then getting slaughtered for being weak. The demon had been looking forward to making that my fate.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.


    He was just going to have to get over it.


    ¡°Hmm, that¡¯s the marking done. You are now officially part of the legion,¡± the demon said like it was all business as usual. ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­ Here it is, recruit number 18234 of Ao. Taken name of Hayden Hall. Ah, I see. You¡¯re a legacy. No wonder you managed to pass in spite of such a pitiful reaction to infusion.¡±


    An intense surge of dysmorphia swept through me. That was not my name, and Ao was not my home. I was¡­ who was I? Fear kept me rooted in place as I cast about for an explanation and came up short.


    I knew the name of ¡®Hayden¡¯ didn¡¯t fit me. I also knew that my arms weren¡¯t supposed to look toned and trained, and that my chest wasn¡¯t broad and muscular. I knew all those things, but I also didn¡¯t know what the alternative was supposed to be.


    My new instinctive wisdom advised me to keep my mouth shut about this identity crisis as the demon rummaged through his paperwork. I tried to focus on why demons needed paperwork to begin with, especially since he seemed supremely annoyed by it.


    This was good advice. But the moment I finished ignoring my mental anguish, I started to feel uncomfortable in other ways.


    I was wearing only a thin shirt and pants. The clothes did nothing to shield me from the alternating waves of heat and cold rolling through the air. As one sensation reached a peak, it felt as if I could acclimate and push through. And then it would flip. Hot to cold, back and forth, never giving me a single second of comfort. Each wave was agony. So much so that I was surprised my body wasn¡¯t taking actual damage.


    The clothing was also getting too rough and scratchy. It irritated my skin and made me squirm, even if I knew squirming was a horrible idea.


    To top it all off, sweat that was generated by the heat and chilled by the cold dripped into my eyes. It was all I could do to keep my hands still, away from my face.


    ¡°A waste,¡± the demon spat. I was thankful to the red clerk demon for reclaiming my attention, but I didn¡¯t like the scowl he was giving me. ¡°A total waste. I can¡¯t believe¡­ Urgh, if it weren¡¯t for the Laws, I would not be doing this.¡±


    The demon kept grumbling as he stood from his seat, bent down, and started rummaging around the underside of his booth. The only wise thing to do was wait. For one thing, I knew nothing about what was happening. Another important fact was that this clerk could likely kill me with trivial ease.


    At least, my new memories believed that to be the case.


    Finally, the red demon popped up from under the desk, dragging a long, rectangular box and a simple drawstring bag attached to a belt.


    ¡°Here. This is your first and most important piece of equipment. If you¡¯re stupid enough not to take care of it or fail to use it, you deserve to die. It¡¯s just natural selection at that point. Do you know how to bind it? Of course, I can also¡­ assist you.¡±


    The demon raised another stamp model as he flashed crooked teeth. I didn¡¯t know how to ¡®bind¡¯ anything. But saying that was obviously inviting more trouble. Trusting my new instincts, I raised my hand, forced something to well up from within my chest, and brushed my hand across the bag. The bag glowed briefly, then settled down.


    ¡°Of course. Legacy.¡± The demon spat at the ground under my feet and threw the bag at me. I caught it awkwardly, tying the belt around my waist as he turned his attention to the box. ¡°You are lucky. Oh yes, so very lucky. Stuck with it, through life and death. Just to make sure you understand, no one can steal this from you, not even claim it after your death. Well, unless they¡¯re in the reacquisition department. Or they¡¯re in the will. Understood?¡±


    He shot another crazed smile and pushed the box forward. In one swift motion, he had both locks on the front of the box disengaged. Then he threw the cover back.


    Part of me thought the box would hold something horrifying, like a pile of innocent souls all screaming and begging for mercy. Another part of me expected gold, jewels, and other precious metals.


    No part of me suspected the box would hold a sword that looked like it belonged in a junkyard.


    The weapon might have once been beautiful. It still had sections that were a soft lemon-green color. Whatever metal it was made of was obviously some magical bullshit. I could tell just from the way it refracted light.


    All this, however, was overshadowed by the general state of the weapon. The sword looked like someone had done their best to destroy it.


    Most of the blade was blackened, chipped, and brittle. There were actual cracks running all the way down its length. And when the demon jostled the box impatiently, the blade rattled audibly inside the setting of its pommel.


    Now, I was by no means an expert, but I was pretty sure that the only thing you could do with a sword like that was scrap it. So why was the creepy demon looking at the weapon like it was a sumptuous meal he had to hand off to someone else?


    ¡°Well, boy? Are you going to bond with it or not? Or would you like for someone else to catch onto the fact that you, of all people, have a blade like that?¡±


    None of this made sense, but I was not a fool, at least never to egregious levels. If the clerk demon was showing such obvious greed, delaying would do me no good. So, as I¡¯d done with the bag, I bonded myself to the blade.


    I almost staggered when the weight of its connection settled on me.


    Unlike the bag, this sword was not to be underestimated. Hoping for some relief, I rushed through the motions of grabbing the extremely plain scabbard from the box and slamming the sword home into it. The feeling of weight on my shoulders ebbed, but didn¡¯t disappear entirely.


    ¡°Lucky bastard,¡± the demon muttered, then motioned to a stand with weapons on them. These, I noted, looked much better than the weapon I had just claimed. Gleaming daggers, swords that looked sharp enough to cut through razor wire, and shields that could both take and give a beating. ¡°Pick your standard-issue weapon.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t a hard choice. I grabbed a blade that was something between a dagger and a short sword. It didn¡¯t look particularly deadly, especially in comparison to some of the other stuff on offer, but my body gravitated towards it. The second I took it, the demon clerk loudly shouted ¡°Next!¡± and motioned me aside.


    For no other reason than a lack of better options and a desire to get away from the demon, I complied.


    Thankfully, ahead of me stood a line of people who looked to be in circumstances much like my own. They all held a weapon of some kind and had a bag hanging from their hips. They were also eying me hungrily, twigging every single self-preservation instinct I had.


    Violence wasn¡¯t on the menu, though. In fact, as I stood there, slowly feeling a pit of hunger build up in the pit of my stomach, I realized that nothing was on the menu.


    I didn¡¯t complain. My new instincts were telling me to stay still, keep quiet, and wait for instructions.


    For a long time, nothing happened. It was boring enough to sleep, but not safe enough for such a luxury. Eventually, I settled into some kind of half-awake trance. I must have zoned out for a while, or for a very long time indeed. The next thing I was aware of was the booming voice of a demon ringing through the cavern.


    ¡°Listen up, you lot.¡± The demon stood on a small stage beside the line of booths. He swept his head, so thick with horns that it looked like he was wearing a crown, over the gathered humans. ¡°Today, you join the glorious ranks of the Duke of Torment! You will spill blood for him, you will fight for him, and you will claim souls in his name!¡±


    He paused, like he was daring anyone to say something to contradict him. No one did, on account of not being idiots.


    In what was ostensibly an endless expanse of cavern, his voice should have been devoured by the sheer amount of empty space. Instead, the words were echoing. It sounded like he was standing right next to me.


    ¡°And you will claim souls,¡± he continued angrily. ¡°If you fail to bring ten souls on your way back to hell, I guarantee that you will be unmade. My best torturer will have their fun with you, and by the time they¡¯re through, you¡¯ll regret not extinguishing the everlasting flame of your own soul sooner. I hope we are clear on this.¡±


    We were. The demon radiated so much bloodlust and rage that I would have obeyed him even if I¡¯d been perfectly free, in control, and fully cognizant of what the hell was happening around me.


    ¡°Good. In that case, let¡¯s get this started. I declare a war of conquest against the plane of Berlis!¡±


    With those words, the demon spun and slashed one arm in a wide arc. His claws tore through the very underpinnings of reality, opening a rift directly onto a stretch of enchantingly picturesque grassy fields. Beyond the fields, I saw a scary fortress in the distance.


    ¡°Charge!¡± The demon released a guttural scream of pure violence, and countless throats echoed the sound.


    Including my own.

 Chapter 2: Obedience

    There wasn¡¯t time to process anything. I found enough time for one quick backward glance, showing me a crowd of countless demons in proper armor and fielding proper weapons.


    Then a wave of rage, obsession, and anguish rolled over me.


    I wanted to double over, or maybe puke outright. Instead, my new instincts pushed me to draw my weapons. Pulling my shoddy sword and half-way decent dagger from their sheaths, I gripped them with desperate strength.


    It was immediately obvious that my fellow armed humans on either side had it much worse than I did. As the demonic command swept over them, they all stumbled forward. Apparently, though, we weren¡¯t the command¡¯s real target. That honor belonged to the larger mass of mindless, collared humans milling around the portal in front of us.


    I fought a full-body shiver as the spikes of the collars all lit up, and then stabbed down into the humans¡¯ necks. The zombie-like humans roared in agony and clawed at their throats.


    Then the demons¡¯ rage-scream hit them. Abandoning all thoughts of pain or any sense of self, they charged the portal.


    As they passed through into the other world, a transformation swept over them. Their skin blackened and grew as rough as concrete. Glowing red veins popped out all over their bodies. Horns jutted out from their heads. And each and every one grew to at least four times their previous size.


    They almost put one of those collars on me. I barely woke up, and that asshole already had one in his hands. A moment later, and¡­


    I shuddered, stopping my train of thought there.


    ¡°Perfect,¡± the demon commander declared. He hadn¡¯t moved from his stage. All the demons seemed content to wait as their mindless mutated war machines streamed through the portal. ¡°Now¡­ probationary troops, charge!¡±


    The words had an immediate effect, especially when echoed by the screams of the demonic troops behind me. Instead of keeping hold of my sanity, the unrestrained emotions and urges took over my actions.


    Along with the other human troops, I broke into an all-out sprint. The demonic command surged through me, pushing me onward, requiring everything my body had to offer. The only acceptable thought in my head was getting to that fortress city and killing every last creature inside, sentient or not.


    There were just a few issues with that.


    For one thing, the city was surrounded by massive walls, taller than any sword-wielding civilization should have been capable of constructing. Another important point was that the human defenders were doing an incredible job thinning out the numbers of mindless brutes rushing to attack those walls.


    As streaks of wildly vibrant colors shot down from the walls, hammering the mutated humans and obliterating my new comrades-in-arms, I didn¡¯t feel pride. I didn¡¯t feel calm and collected. I felt only mind-numbing fear.


    And enthusiastic bloodlust, of course. The demonic command wouldn¡¯t let me forget that.


    Unfortunately, that command didn¡¯t include any hint of interest in our survival. No matter how hard I tried, I could not stop the rage-wave from dragging my body ever onwards. My crazed autopilot was determined to drive both blades into the first living enemy combatant within reach. Getting to said combatants was my only purpose.


    Gigantic rocks were launched from within the city. Unlike the spell barrage, these weren¡¯t aimed at the front-line monsters. The missiles soared over the mutants¡¯ heads to land directly amidst the approaching group of much squishier humans.


    My group.


    Even then, I could not stop. Huge boulders crashed down mere meters away, pelting me with clumps of dirt and stones, or on multiple memorable occasions, blood and viscera. Still, the wave of obsession drove me forward. Seeing my comrades slaughtered, anger began to ignite in my chest.


    My instinct urged me to ride the wave instead of trying to fight it. Save your energy, the voice said. Focus on what lies ahead. We¡¯ll make them pay.


    The voice was right. That first line of mutated humans would be a deciding factor in my group¡¯s survival. Still running flat-out, I tried to see what was happening at the wall.


    To my relief, I saw signs of success. In favor of the demons. The spell barrage managed to cut down every four out of five mutants. But there were just too many attackers. Even taking out most of the mutants left hundreds who finished the charge and crashed straight into the walls.


    Crashed into them, and immediately exploded. Literally.


    Of course. Of course, these mutants were cannon fodder, figuratively and literally. I was reminded of which side I was on. The demon side had no concept of the ¡®sanctity of life.¡¯


    Any other day, the gory scene would have paralyzed me. But in my crazed dash towards the fortress, all that mattered was that the mutants were doing something. Each explosion rocked the wall and made the proud structure wobble. Cracks were snaking their way up from the points of impact.


    The defenders must have noticed the issue as fast as I did. They doubled their efforts, refocusing on the front lines instead of lobbing stones at us.


    Even with that, they were losing.


    Every single mutant that made it through left an indelible mark on the city¡¯s defenses, chipping away at their foundation. And the attackers just kept coming. There was no end as they mindlessly sacrificed themselves.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.


    The rage in my chest abated just a little, satiated by the realization that the mutant-bombs were clearing my path. If I got just a bit closer, I¡¯d be able to wet my blades with human blood.


    The enemy was, unfortunately, not stupid.


    They also chose that moment to remember that my group existed. I looked up just in time to see a wave of arrows launch from the walls, so thick it threatened to block out the sun.


    ¡°Well, fuck.¡±


    If I was about to be turned into a human pincushion, then I was damn well going to let everyone know how I felt about it.


    Suddenly, my newly acquired brain started firing like never before. In record time, I¡¯d cataloged all the facts and every single nuance of the battlefield. I saw that my group had made it quite far, almost halfway to the wall. We were charging through ground littered by bodies of the first mutant wave.


    More importantly, even though the force in my chest was still braying for the blood of its enemies, the quality of the demand shifted. Before, it felt like someone screaming directly into my brain. Now it was more of a very insistent gibbering to kill anything in sight that would dare oppose my demonic masters.


    I tried to fight the urges. They overpowered me. I tried to ignore them. They pushed through.


    Now, I¡¯m willing to admit that I am a prideful sort. I also like to think I can keep a solid head on my shoulders during an emergency. As the arrows came ever closer, I tried a couple different tactics.


    I can¡¯t kill things if I¡¯m dead. The urges didn¡¯t care.


    I want to kill things. The urges liked that.


    In desperation, I gave in to the murderous wave filling my chest. I pushed the full weight of my will behind the single thought of ¡®do grievous harm¡¯. Then I charted out a path to accomplish that purpose. The urges agreed.


    Twitching out of my current trajectory, I dived for one of the mutated dead. There was just enough time to pull myself mostly under its cover before the rain of arrows started to pierce the battlefield.


    The result was hell.


    The mutants hadn¡¯t screamed when they were struck, and they most definitely hadn¡¯t begged. They were single-minded engines of destruction that sought to complete their objective at all costs.


    My group, the humans enlisted into the demon army, weren¡¯t like that. I saw the despair in their faces when they saw death coming. And I felt that same despair mirrored in my own soul.


    Now, as I pushed away from my hiding place, I saw the crowd for who they were. Not elite soldiers sent from hell, but rather people thrown into the first real combat scenario of their lives. Some were yelling words of defiance, but most were sobbing in pain or begging for their lives. The anguished sounds wormed their way into my mind.


    Instead of dwelling on them, I followed my urges and broke into another run. With bitter fascination, I noted that even the most grievously wounded were trying to do the same.


    After all, the order was still driving us ever onwards, whether we wanted to or not.


    To my surprise, a stunning number of people survived. Even those who hadn¡¯t chosen a shield found some way of dealing with the rain of arrows. Granted, most were now bearing wounds, but it wasn¡¯t anywhere close to the outright slaughter I¡¯d initially feared.


    That was good. It meant more bodies between me and the weapons of my enemies, especially since my little stunt pushed me firmly towards the back of the group.


    While I ran, my eyes feverishly scanned the ground ahead of me, struggling to see past the ever-present stampede. When I spotted what I was looking for, I could have sobbed. With another smart use of will, I slammed my dagger back into its sheath. Then I bent down and used my newly free hand to scoop up a shield that had failed to protect its previous owner.


    A rough glance ahead showed the number of mutants had been cut by more than half. What they¡¯d accomplished, however, spoke for itself.


    With a final loud groan, a whole section of the wall simply collapsed. Gravity grasped the screaming defenders and sent them careening down to their deaths.


    It still wasn¡¯t enough to prevent another round of arrow fire.


    Looking around, I cursed. There wasn¡¯t a single nearby corpse I could easily hide behind. But I did have a decently sized shield that could cover more of my upper body. In that moment of dire need, I could have taken my chances.


    Instead, with the feeling of something snapping inside my chest, I pushed myself just a little more ¡ª just far enough to reach out and grip the shirt of the man running right ahead of me.


    His wheeze of surprise wasn¡¯t something I would ever forget. But when I collapsed to my knees, between him and my shield, I was fully covered.


    My meat shield, of course, was not quite as lucky. The thunk of arrows hitting flesh was nauseating even without feeling the impacts. Still, once the volley was over, it was surprisingly easy for me to push the man aside and keep running.


    When I gave myself to the demonic will, I felt empowered. My body never felt so light as I sprinted forward in search of my first victim. All concerns of morality fled my mind because of it.


    Or so I tried to convince myself, even as I felt a gaze burn itself into my back as the last sparks of life left my human meat shield.


    Crossing the last stretch of land to the fortress city was trivial. The mutants had already spread well beyond the breach they made, and I could hear the screams of the defenders¡¯ pain well before I could see their slaughter.


    Getting through the breach itself was another matter.


    Invaders like me were scrambling over the collapsed section of the wall, struggling against both the treacherous footing and the haste born out of bloodlust. More than a few times, a careless swing of a weapon at the hand of an ally brought an end to another life.


    As I scrambled over the last section of this collapsed wall and dropped down beyond it, I spotted my first local.


    A group of knights were trying to maintain a somewhat orderly retreat. They held shields large enough to cover their whole bodies. Pressing the shields together and jabbing between them with lightning-quick ripostes, they were able to hold back a significantly larger group of enemies.


    The weight of the demonic command swelled in my chest, but I kept moving at an angle. Somehow, it was getting easier to think, to subvert my orders to an interpretation that suited me.


    The city behind the fortress walls wasn¡¯t messy. If anything, it was the peak of efficiency, with streets laid out in an orderly grid. I took advantage of that to slip right past the group of knights, running down a road parallel to their retreat.


    Frankly, it was easy.


    All my nominal allies seemed incapable of higher thought. They just kept throwing their bodies at the defenders, burning up in the face of their orders. The knights, though pressured, were fully up to the task of cutting down this mob of mindless attackers.


    So when I snuck up from behind the knights and went for the kill, I had a completely clear shot.


    It was halfway through the motion that disbelief struck me. On instinct, I had ¡®bound¡¯ the sword that had been handed to me. On instinct, I had decided to keep the sword drawn, rather than my dagger.


    With widening eyes, I looked down the cracked blade¡¯s dull, unappealing edge right as I thrust it into a knight¡¯s back.


    I expected everything to go wrong in spectacular fashion. Perhaps my blade would just shatter, leaving me to face the rage of a whole group of knights. Perhaps my cunning ambush and lethal strike would turn into more of an ineffectual clubbing.


    Despite the weapon¡¯s faults and my own panic, the sword easily found purchase. Even with though it looked like it would shatter with the slightest contact, it bit deep. Blood fled the knight¡¯s body and immediately filled the blade¡¯s many grooves. With a rush of something passing through me, I felt the bag at my hip grow marginally heavier.


    Of course, that was when several angry knights spun around and spotted the intruder in their midst, their eyes alight with vengeance for the loss of their friend.

 Chapter 3: Killer Moves

    For a precious moment, as the knights rounded on me to avenge their fallen comrade, I stood perfectly frozen. The emotion that kept me rooted in place wasn¡¯t regret, disgust, or anything people might associate with a first-time murderer.


    It was fear, plain and simple.


    That fear wanted to take me away from the knights, to make me run when their gleaming swords turned in my direction. But the demon kill-orders pulsing through my veins fought back. The precious wiggle room I¡¯d been able to reason out with the demonic command was gone now that I was right in front of potential victims.


    The murder-compulsion jockeyed for control, won decisively against my fear, and dragged my body towards the knights. Instead of trying to fight the command and getting myself skewered for my trouble, I gave in.


    With a scream of bloodlust and panic, I drove my sword through the gap between a knight¡¯s helmet and the rest of their armor. The man choked on the steel and his own blood. My bag grew a tiny bit heavier.


    That should have been when I died. The other three knights were enraged at the sudden dispatch of their two friends, and I was right in the middle of the mess.


    My salvation came in the form of a frenzied mob. They fell upon the backs of the remaining knights, slashing, kicking, stabbing, and doing whatever else their crazed minds demanded, driven to end the lives of any humans free of demonic influence. The knights had broken ranks in their moment of anger, and the demonic slaves were taking full advantage of this opening.


    No, not slaves.


    The thought was mine, but it came with a kind of grainy, echoing quality. As my body gave in to the demonic command, images flashed in front of my eyes. Men, women, and children, dirty and underfed and all wearing manacles. They bore their blows silently, because they were already broken. But their tormentors were not demons. Other humans were making their lives hell, while demons watched and jeered and made bets on their survival. Those were the true slaves.


    We, despite everything I was seeing, were the lucky ones. Slowly but surely, the demonic command receded. When the last bits of the hazy memory went along with the command, I found myself on top of one of the knights. His face had been obliterated from repeated shield bashes and his chest plate was scratched and dented. In my left hand was a shield still dripping blood and my right wrist was burning in pain.


    Several of the other demonic soldiers were still around, hacking away at the knights¡¯ bodies like demented ghouls.


    I had been like that. The thought sent shivers down my back. A dry, sweet smell assaulted my nose. Blood. I stumbled up and away from the corpses, then paused, trying to get my bearings. I was reeling, both from the memory and what I had just done.


    It¡¯s kill or be killed. I can¡¯t fight the command. It took a couple of seconds to jump through all the mental hoops required to justify myself. But once that was done, I turned around and started examining the corpses.


    My left arm chose that moment to start throbbing painfully. A glance told me that one of the knights had managed to give me a long, angry gash. A nice souvenir to remember him by.


    I ignored it, concentrating on my search. It didn¡¯t take long to find what I was looking for. One of the knights, the first one I had killed, was relatively close to my new body¡¯s shape and size. Kneeling next to him, I tore off my thin, useless shirt and cut it into several long strips of cloth. I wasn¡¯t skilled at first aid. In fact, I didn¡¯t have a clue what I was doing. My new body¡¯s instincts had no relevant help to offer. Regardless, I bandaged the wound as well as I could, and then failed to tie it off several times.


    Hollywood lied when they showed how ¡®easy¡¯ it was to hold one end of a bandage in your teeth while tying it off. Who knew, right?


    I eventually managed. Then I fought to ignore the pain and the growing red splotch on the ¡®bandages¡¯ as I stripped the knight of everything he was worth.


    The armor I claimed instantly, even though it took a while to figure out how the two plates meant to cover my front and back were kept in place. Naturally, I also took the man¡¯s padded shirt, or gambeson, or whatever it was called. Sure, it had a hole where my sword had somehow punched right through. And it was soaked in blood, but so was I. This wasn¡¯t a time to be picky.


    The next thing I claimed was a tower shield. The one that I had picked up on the field was pathetic. The weapon crafters for the demonic forces clearly hadn¡¯t wasted much time or resources on the dregs of the army. For starters, it was barely big enough to properly cover my upper body. And at this point, the gear looked like it had gone to hell and back. Or the reverse, I suppose. Compared to the quality of the dagger, it was downright insulting. A way to force us not to waste time on defensive gear, perhaps?


    Regardless, the tower shield of the knights was a much better substitute.


    Then I got to the pants, and faltered. I wanted them, sure, but the smell alone was unbearable. The growing wet patch between the man¡¯s legs said exactly where all the unpleasantness was coming from, and I was pretty sure I could smell more than piss.


    I decided to keep my own thin pants for now.


    I did steal the man¡¯s boots though. The size of them was a tiny bit off, but it didn¡¯t matter. Anything was better than the flimsy things I was wearing, which were falling apart with every step.


    Finally, I tried on the man¡¯s helmet. Wearing it was a distinctly uncomfortable experience. It smelled of sweat and desperation, however the hell I was perceiving the latter. And, like everything else, it was just a tiny bit too small, so I felt like someone was clamping down on the sides of my head. It also looked a bit weird, like a cross between a bucket and some pointy implement. If I wanted to impale someone, I could just bend over and charge them. I¡¯m sure it made me look ridiculous.You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    I kept it on.


    Only an idiot gets killed by a stray arrow for the sake of style or extra comfort points.


    With the new loot, I was a new man. Literally and figuratively. For one, I was much better equipped than I had been at the start of the battle. For another, I now looked like all the other knights scurrying around the city, bloody and battered. As the command to kill once again rose to an intensity I couldn¡¯t ignore, a small twinge of worry pierced through my seemingly perfect plan.


    There I was, completely surrounded by unstable demon-controlled soldiers, and I had just decked myself out in the gear of our enemies.


    Before I could freak out, my new body¡¯s instincts assured me I¡¯d be fine. It took a brief moment of introspection to figure out why. I could feel the others. All I had to do was focus, and I could pinpoint the location of each and every demonic soldier in a couple yards¡¯ radius around me. It was like I had a built-in radar for friendlies. Thinking back, I realized I¡¯d managed to avoid hurting my nominal allies, and vice versa, even when I blanked out during the scuffle with the knights.


    So, I wasn¡¯t liable to get stabbed in the back by mistake. That was comforting.


    Less comforting was the realization that my body started moving, on its own, while I was thinking. I was now much deeper inside the fortress city. My legs were pumping against the stone road, in search of the nearest enemy. Apparently, any lapse in my concentration allowed the murder-command to take over fully.


    I swore quietly, then quickly dove into the nearest house. The door wasn¡¯t even locked, making the maneuver easy.


    I¡¯m not hiding, I¡¯m scouting for hidden enemies.


    Once I¡¯d repeated the mantra for the dozenth time, the command finally started to agree. It bought me just enough time to relax and look around.


    I was in a small foyer. A doorway at the other end of the room led to the rest of the house. Two pairs of boots stood right next to the door I¡¯d just come in, one larger than the other. The space wasn¡¯t furnished richly, but it did have a bench, hooks with coats hanging off them, a weapon stand, and a low table of some weird design.


    The table was knocked over and the weapon stand was empty.


    I crouched lower before going further. There was no door separating the foyer from the next room, which lessened the chances of an ambush. I still crept around the corner like I was expecting a hostile SWAT team to jump out at me.


    The caution proved unnecessary. The large room was empty.


    It was some kind of mix between a kitchen, a dining room, and a living room. Knickknacks, personal items, and general proof of people living in the space abounded, but I paid them no mind. There was a door to my immediate left, probably leading to a room the same size as the foyer, and another door across from me.


    My stomach whined when I looked at the kitchen area, reminding me just how hungry I was, but I ignored it. Instead, I concentrated on taking a deep breath and busting down the door on the left with a movie-inspired kick.


    Or rather, I tried. The kick made my leg ache, and the door didn¡¯t budge. I cursed as quietly as could. With my face flushing with embarrassment, I just opened the bloody door normally. A wave of cold slammed me in the face. This was a pantry. Shelves full of food lined the walls, kept cool by a large basket of steaming ice in the center of the floor.


    For once, my inner geek came out to play as I marveled over the locals¡¯ solution to their food storage problems. The ice had to be magical somehow. It didn¡¯t look natural at all, not least because there was no water to be found at the bottom of the basket or on the surrounding floor.


    A quick assessment told me that I was now the owner of various staples that looked mostly familiar. Several kinds of possible fruits and veggies were completely alien to me, but some could have passed for Earth variants.


    Suddenly, a creak sounded behind me, the subtle yet unmistakable sound of someone placing their foot wrong. I whirled around as the murder-compulsion exploded in my mind.


    A terrified man was in the middle of the room, his eyes wide and full of desperation. He was clutching a knife in his right hand with a white-knuckled grip. But he had made up his mind. The instant I turned, he charged right for me with a scream.


    My movements were simple, almost mechanical. I stepped forward, took his knife¡¯s blow on my new shield, and then slashed out with my sword.


    And that was about where my newfound instincts stopped. I wasn¡¯t a master swordsman, merely a trained buffoon who knew just enough not to treat a sword like a bat but not enough to know where to place it. Instead of neatly ending the man¡¯s life with a blow to the neck, my blade raked across his face.


    Blood burst out of his cheek, and he instantly crumpled, clutching at his eye. His fingers were stained with red and white as I brought my sword down again. This time, I caught the back of his neck and a bit of his shoulder blades. He crumpled further, whimpering and gurgling now. And then I landed the killing blow.


    I wasn¡¯t shaking. My hands were completely steady and sure. I wasn¡¯t throwing up either. But deep inside of me was a mounting horror at what I was doing. My body was almost moving on instinct, thanks to the flare of the murder command and the pulse of something scalding hot inside my chest. It sent waves of heat through my body, relaxing muscles and banishing the ill effects of adrenaline.


    The warm, unnatural calmness was disturbing, but I couldn¡¯t focus on it. I was preoccupied by my feet. They kept moving, propelled by the command, dragging me towards the room I¡¯d originally ignored.


    The door was open now. I couldn¡¯t believe I hadn¡¯t heard the man when he started sneaking up on me or that I had been so stupid to have been distracted by the food. Hovering somewhere between demonic rage and a panic attack, I barged inside the room.


    My thoughts screeched and ground to a halt.


    I was obviously in a bedroom. It was a simple affair, with shelves on one side, a couple of storage chests on the other, and a bed in the center. At the other end of the room was a woman, likely the wife of the man who just tried to kill me. A ray of sunlight splashed across the top of her head from the small window behind her.


    My demonic compulsion drove me forward.


    Killing the man was one thing. I knew he was innocent, and that I was part of a demonic army invading his home. He had, however, taken up a weapon and tried to ambush me. I could reason something out there, find a way to feel a little less guilty.


    There was no such reprieve with the woman.


    She was crying and had her hands raised. She wasn¡¯t a threat, just someone caught in the wrong place at the wrong time.


    I tried, with everything in me, to fight the compulsion. I tried to step away and just go raid the pantry. I tried to reason that my hunger, and the potential weakness that would ensue, was more important in that moment than cutting down a helpless woman.


    I failed.


    I was stuck there, screaming inside my mind, as I approached the woman and lifted my sword. Her eyes widened with terror as she bumped against the window. There was a subtle glow to the window frame, coming from runes etched into the trim. An instinct told me the runes were for muffling enchantments.


    The woman had heard her husband die. She watched the approach of the murderer, mouth open in a silent plea.


    I brought my blade down, right through her chest.

 Chapter 4: Take a Promenade

    Slowly, deliberately, I brought down the knife, cutting off a decent slice of the sausage I had found in the pantry. It fit nicely between two slices of bread. I now had a passable sandwich to chow down on amidst a demonic invasion.


    In the home of a family I had killed.


    The food tasted like ash, and not just because the bread was oddly stiff and rough.


    I didn¡¯t let myself dwell on what I had done. I couldn¡¯t because then I¡¯d drop everything I was doing and head for the door, looking for my next victim.


    I had thought my plan to search the houses was so clever. Distract the compulsion and get some loot to help me survive the whole mess, all in one convenient package. Now I had a dead woman¡¯s blood on my hands, and the corpse of her husband bleeding on the floor while I fought to ignore it all and down some food.


    I managed, somehow.


    The only thing to drink in the entire home was a pitcher of wine. I helped myself to it after I was done eating, since my throat was about as dry as the bread had been. Then I helped myself to some more of it because I really didn¡¯t want to be aware of everything I had done. Or was about to do.


    It didn¡¯t help. In some literally cursed way, even when I drained the whole pitcher, my hands refused to shake. My body was like a fine-tuned instrument. It would not collapse under stress. My mind stayed clear, completely calm, and under my control.


    Well, as much control as the command driving me to murder allowed.


    Food ingested, the only thing that kept me from marching out and looking for more people to kill was the argument that I needed more gear. Thankfully, a brief search of the storage chests in the bedroom netted me something that resembled a backpack and more leeway with the murder command.


    For the next few minutes, I procrastinated by packing as much food as I could. Slowly, I wrapped each item in the clean clothes of my victims. Methodically, I arranged the food in the backpack. I drew out every part of the process as long as possible, hoping that would be enough for other unfortunate souls to get out of my section of the city, or at least die by someone else¡¯s hand.


    Finally, the command was back. I couldn¡¯t stop my legs from moving towards the door. All I could do was snag a few more precious moments of delay by checking on the hip-bag I¡¯d been so graciously gifted at the start of the whole mess. It took a few seconds to gently loosen the bag¡¯s strings and reach inside, ones in which the command slowed its urging.


    There were four items, all roughly circular and with straight edges. Pulling one of them out, my heart skipped a beat as my limbs felt suddenly cold.


    The object had many faceted sides, like a d20 die. Nothing too chilling there. What was chilling was the face trapped inside the item. It was the face of a man, caught in a tangle of pain and anguish, practically snarling at me from the object¡¯s confines. Even more chill-inducing, my instincts helpfully informed me exactly what the object was. This was a soul, trapped and gifted a semi-physical form so I could use it as currency.


    The demon commander had said we were expected to earn at least ten souls on our campaign. Somehow, despite the fact I was dealing with actual demons, I¡¯d thought he was speaking figuratively.


    I didn¡¯t check the other three objects, I already knew what I¡¯d find. I couldn¡¯t take the sight of a helpless woman¡¯s face staring up at me again.


    That did, however, leave me with a problem. I needed another six souls, or I wouldn¡¯t survive, even if I managed to hide until demons razed the city to the ground. That meant looking for more knights, more fighting, and more chances to face down someone with actual combat skills.


    Alternatively¡­


    My eyes swept over the houses that I was now marching past. Chances were good that they held more civilians. Other souls I could claim at little to no risk, satisfying both my compulsion and the need to prove myself to my demonic masters.


    I kept walking.


    The command might have some control over my actions, but it could do nothing about the dread and disgust pooling in my stomach. I couldn¡¯t live with myself if I was forced to kill someone helplessly caught in this conflict.


    I wasn¡¯t sure I could live with myself even now.


    A door opened to my right, and I froze before forcing myself to face that direction. My eyes landed directly on a helmeted face peering back at me.


    I brought my sword up, readied a charge, and then stopped. The murder urge wasn¡¯t pushing me to attack.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect this,¡± the person in front of me sneered, his sharp eyes filled with a madness that I knew was also reflected in my own. ¡°I figured the rest of you were little more than murderous husks at this point.¡±


    ¡°Yes, well, not all of us are weak-minded idiots,¡± I replied. It was the first time I had paid proper attention to my voice, and I noted that it was satisfyingly deep and rumbling.


    I also noted that the other demonic soldier¡¯s sword was covered in dripping blood. I didn¡¯t need to look inside the house he was coming out of to know exactly what I¡¯d find there.Stolen novel; please report.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s always nice to have reliable allies, ain¡¯t it?¡± The man grinned, but the smile didn¡¯t reach his eyes. Those stayed hard and focused.


    ¡°Maybe. I don¡¯t suppose you¡¯ve seen any locals around? Of the armed and dangerous variety?¡±


    ¡°Not in a while, no. I think they¡¯re retreating behind their second wall, but I wouldn¡¯t recommend approaching it. That¡¯s where their mages are. Can¡¯t handle those yet, and it would be a shame to die when things haven¡¯t even properly started.¡±


    The man was relaxed, and obviously much more at ease with what we were being forced to do. He also seemed to have a better grasp on controlling our compulsion than I did. His limbs were still, while mine still twitched occasionally. Now that I heard the fact that there were enemies in the fortress city¡¯s inner area, it was all I could do to keep from running there and murdering them all.


    ¡°Then best be off to find some easier prey,¡± I said, nodding in what I hoped was a confident manner.


    The man smiled wider. ¡°Would you like some company, perchance? We would have much better odds together.¡±


    The offer sounded sincere, but I didn¡¯t like the way he eyed me and my backpack as he spoke.


    ¡°Sure,¡± I replied. ¡°Want to lead the way?¡±


    The man laughed and motioned me onwards. ¡°I would not dream of it. You look much better equipped than I do, so you must be doing something right that I¡¯m missing.¡±


    With another nod and a forced smile, I set off down the street.


    My eyes roved over the towers dotting the breached wall. Most of the knights and any of the city¡¯s remaining soldiers were likely falling back, like my new companion had suggested. But I was willing to bet that more than a few of them had been trapped in the outer city that was now a demon-infested hellscape of slaughter. If I were one of those survivors, and if I had a defensible position like those towers to hunker down in, I¡¯d probably take my chances.


    The other thing that I was looking at was my new companion. The man was slowly but surely drawing closer to me. He was incredibly careful. He¡¯d take one extra step for every six or eight of mine. But while he started off a couple of yards behind me, he had gradually cut that distance in half.


    I didn¡¯t make any sudden moves. I didn¡¯t tighten my hold on my weapons. I tried to appear perfectly relaxed, just another demonic soldier marching in search of my next victims.


    It was only when he drew within stabbing distance that I spun around and thrust my sword at his face.


    Snarling, he batted my weapon aside with his shield. Then he answered my attack with a vicious riposte. I fell back a step, managing to raise my own shield just in time and feeling the impact hit my arm.


    After the hit, the man retreated a step to judge his options and afford me a chance to size up my new opponent. He wielded a bastard sword one-handed with the ease and mastery of a man thrice his age. While my long sword wasn¡¯t far behind in reach, that first exchange was enough to give me pause. This was a man I had no business fighting.


    ¡°How?¡± His frustrated growl was sweet balm to my frayed nerves. Despite the ongoing peril, I couldn¡¯t help but smile.


    ¡°Too obvious, friendo. If you want to stab me in the back, at least be subtle about it,¡± I taunted, hoping to put him at least somewhat off-balance. The truth was that he had seemed somewhat friendly. But in a world like this, it paid to be a bit more careful, especially when my instincts were screaming that something was wrong. It was some weird extra sense, like I was somehow picking up on his emotions.


    Yet another gift from the new body I¡¯d been thrust into.


    ¡°No matter.¡± The man looked rabid now, his eyes widened to comical proportions. ¡°I¡¯ll end you, and I¡¯ll distinguish myself in this invasion. I don¡¯t need competition or fools that could get in my way.¡±


    Whatever his motivation was, it was apparently powerful enough to make him do stupid shit, even without the compulsion driving us both.


    ¡°I¡¯m not competition,¡± I assured him, trying to deescalate the situation. ¡°Listen, I just want to survive this. I don¡¯t want to prove myself or ¡ª gah!¡±


    I cut off my speech when he lunged, with a low slash. It was an awkward angle to defend, and I had to twist sideways to get my shield between us.


    That was when it became clear that my instincts with the shield were even worse than my minimal sword abilities. I was treating the thing as a board, just shoving it between myself and any oncoming blade.


    This sad lack of shield know-how nearly cost me everything.


    The traitor moved as soon as his blow landed. While I was struggling to find my footing, he was already on my left with another attack. Backpedaling further, I felt a burst of red-hot pain as he nicked my side, but I had retreated far enough that the wound was relatively minor.


    I flailed with my sword in response, and found my stupid shield blocking the sword¡¯s momentum. He easily turned the blow away with his own blade, then lashed out and scored a mark right through the bandages on my arm that I had struggled to apply such a short time ago.


    Biting down on the pained whimper, I rushed forward, forcing him to lock his shield with mine. With a grunt of effort and every last shred of strength I could leverage, I shoved.


    Somehow, he wasn¡¯t ready for that. I heard a gasp before the pressured loosened, which gave me just enough confidence to plant my foot down and push again. That was enough to send him all the way over, and then I was raining down blows on his shield haphazardly in an attempt to get at the soft flesh underneath.


    Even like that, off-balance and disadvantaged as he was, he still managed to lash out again and score a cut that burned angrily across my shin.


    Frustration, fear, and pain all bubbled up inside of me, leaving my chest in a scream of rage. Force exploded out of my body, rattling doors and windows and flattening the man to the ground.


    His face, startled and afraid, briefly became visible when I pulled his shield down to his chest. Driven by rage alone, I brought my shield up, then drove the relatively spiky end of it into his ugly mug.


    There was an ugly wet squelch, but I didn¡¯t relent. I pounded my shield into his skull again and again, even as his limbs spasmed out and the noises grew more disturbing. A dozen strikes later, I felt a pulse, where the flame inside my chest briefly wavered, as if hit by a gust of wind. His head was just a mess of bone shards and mangled flesh.


    The body of the demonic soldier started to disappear. His flesh turned gray, then flaked away in countless motes of ash that spilled over the street. His armor silently sagged, and his shield slid off into the dirt.


    I couldn¡¯t look away. The process was practically enchanting. I hadn¡¯t gotten to see what happened to the bodies of the slain before, being a tad distracted by the whole issue of charging at enemy fortifications, but I guessed my end would be identical.


    Finally, the compulsion reared up, reminding me where I was and what I had to do. I snapped out of my daydream and began to search the man. I knew he had killed at least one innocent, which meant I would be able to loot at least one extra soul.


    To my surprise, there was no sign of his hip-bag. I did, however, find three shiny soul stones on the ground where the bag presumably had just been. Sighing, I scooped them up and quickly deposited them in my own unholy storage device, then turned back to my destination.


    My stroll wasn¡¯t over yet.

 Chapter 5: Tower Rush

    Approaching one of the towers in the breached wall, my guess about defenders holing up inside had been right on point. The small mob of my fellow demonic soldiers maniacally swarming the door made that much clear.


    They were slamming fists and weapons against the reinforced wood with fanatical vigor, driven by the demonic command to get inside and slaughter everyone they found. It was like a brutal stampede. I counted two downed bodies that were becoming ash, and one demonic solder still alive but in the process of getting trampled by his comrades.


    Instead of rushing in to share their fate, I carefully evaluated the situation.


    The tower¡¯s door was the only way to get access to it. The surrounding wall was imposingly high. I doubted I could climb up or flank around from another point.


    What surprised me was the absence of archers on the wall, ready to pick off the invaders. In fact, despite the tower itself had various arrow slits and several windows, no one was taking potshots. The only glimpse I got of a native human was one pale, scared face peeking through a window, then vanishing.


    I wanted to ask my fellow demonic soldiers what was happening, but with the frenzy they were in, getting a reasonable answer didn¡¯t seem likely. I also didn¡¯t cherish the idea that I might get swarmed myself. They could be harboring similar ambitions as the soldier who attacked me.


    This left me in a bit of a dilemma, especially since my own murderous compulsion was still singing away inside my mind. It really didn¡¯t like it when I just stood still.


    I scanned my surroundings, keeping an eye out for a building that didn¡¯t look like a simple house. It only took a few moments to spot one at the far end of the street. The building was large and blocky, more reminiscent of a warehouse than a home.


    I power walked over to it. Sure, the doors were hanging off their hinges and several windows were busted, but I managed to convince myself that there might be a native person left somewhere inside. That satisfied the compulsion enough for me to be mostly functional.


    I found a mess inside. Bodies of knights and other less-equipped soldiers, strewn about the floor amidst the piles of ashes and clothing that marked my fallen comrades. The building seemed to be some sort of shabby barracks, for out-of-town soldiers or just the less important ones. I couldn¡¯t tell either way.


    But that did mean it was full of useful gear and items, just like I had hoped.


    A brief search netted me as much rope as I cared to pick up. The big prize was a spear made entirely of metal, lying on the ground near the body of a ridiculously sized knight who looked to have been killed by a literal thousand cuts. Even in death, he was still standing, wedged between two barrels full of throwing spears.


    I also found and quickly snatched up several rolls of bandages, smiling as I used them to bandage my wounds and stowed the rest in my backpack. They were a much more sanitary option than old clothing.


    With my new tools in hand, I quickly headed out. My fingers were almost trembling from the need to murder something, but I managed not to fumble my prep work too badly. By the time I was back at the tower, where my demonic comrades were still hurling themselves fruitlessly at the door, I had a rope bound tightly to the spear.


    The window nearest to the ground was about eight yards above street level. Certainly too high to climb, especially considering the smooth, flawless surface of the tower. High enough for me to throw a spear through? Well, I was certainly willing to try.


    Aiming with extreme care, I put everything my new body could leverage into the throw. The spear cut through the air, propelled by almost inhuman strength¡­ and slammed into the wall next to the window.


    The noise of its impact and the ensuing clatter when it fell to the street were enough to distract even the frenzied mob at the door, but much to my relief, they swiftly went back to their useless endeavor. Frankly, if they could just organize and calmly hack at the wood, they¡¯d probably have made it through already. As it was, their desperation to enter was hindering them than anything else. And the locals probably had some sort of barricade already prepared on the other side of the door.


    Retrieving the spear, I returned to my spot. Once again, I aimed, readied myself, and threw. The spear was headed for the window this time, but looked like it would slam into the top frame and get bounced back.


    Then a native soldier poked his head through the window, just in time for the spear to plunge into his chest.


    The man squealed like a stuck pig and stumbled away as I rushed to grab the rope. The murderous urge in me squealed with maniacal glee. Tugging on it with all my strength, I was rewarded by the sound of metal striking stone as the spear dislodged itself from my unintended victim and got stuck on the window frame.


    Technically, I could have clambered up the rope myself and made a mad rush at the defenders then and there. That is, of course, if I wanted to be the first to encounter all the vitriol the locals were ready to unleash on any intruders.


    I didn¡¯t.


    ¡°Look!¡± I shouted to my demonic comrades, pointing up at the window. ¡°A way in!¡±


    Just saying the words cost me. The compulsion blazed in my chest, demanding to know why I was just standing there instead of rushing up the rope. Thankfully, that was the moment when a shudder ran through me and my bag grew a touch heavier.


    The poor sod who had ¡®caught¡¯ my spear was dead.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!


    The compulsion momentarily satiated, I could steel myself enough to wait as my fellow soldiers registered my words. The next second, with howls of bloodlust, the whole mob made a mad dash for the rope I still held taut.


    I let four of them start climbing before I joined them. When another demon-soldier tried to follow, I lashed out with a kick, launching him into the rest of the approaching crowd.


    And then I let the compulsion take me.


    Screams were already echoing down from inside the tower, fueling my own obsession to get in. I barely noticed the effort it took to climb. My hands easily pulled me up, heedless of the rope cutting into my palms or the strain on my muscles.


    When I collapsed through the window, kicking my foot to dislodge the hand of another crazed soldier trying to get ahead of me, I found myself in a narrow stairwell full of combat. Two demonic soldiers were fighting a group of defenders surging from the lower levels. I was also treated to the sight of three corpses and two piles of ash. Two of the first climbers had died already.


    But it was immediately evident that the defenders, rushing as they were to get up the stairs to our level, were in a precarious position.


    I could remember reading something about medieval towers and fortifications being built in a way that allowed defenders to have the advantage against anyone trying to climb up, and that clearly held true here. The locals had been concentrating on the front door. They weren¡¯t expecting an attack within the tower from above. Now they were working against the tower¡¯s design, trying to fight their way up in a narrow stairwell that barely let them swing their swords, while we rained blows easily on their shoulders and heads.


    With the situation assessed, I quickly made my choice.


    I blasted a strike behind me, and my tower shield met the face of an invader with a wet thwack. The woman screamed as she fell from the window, but I paid her no heed as I hacked at the rope. It took a few tries, especially since my sword was missing sections of its edge, but the rope finally snapped with a satisfying sound.


    I then spun towards the combat and charged. My shoulder met the small of a fellow invader¡¯s back, and the man screamed in pain and outrage as he was launched over the heads of the desperate defenders. The other one, a woman with a glazed look of madness in her eyes, didn¡¯t even glance in my direction. She just kept stabbing.


    What followed was bloody work.


    The two of us easily blocked the passage together, and the defenders probably assumed that there was a constant stream of new enemies entering their stronghold every moment. This made them desperate enough to keep throwing themselves at us, even though the only result was a string of deaths.


    Most didn¡¯t give us much trouble. A part of it was tactical advantage in having the high ground, meant for benefiting defenders. A bigger part was because they were all in their right minds. Despite their fear and determination, they still fought like sane people with a healthy awareness of danger and a reasonable desire to avoid pain.


    My demonic companion and I had no such obstacles.


    Once I succumbed fully to the haze of my orders, I lost all concern for my wellbeing. Side by side, my fellow demon soldier and I kept slashing and stabbing, sacrificing our limbs and barely defending against the weak but ferocious-seeming blows from below.


    The most trouble we encountered was a determined knight, a woman who chose to sacrifice herself by covering herself with her shield and jumping straight up. She managed to take my companion off her feet, before being rewarded by a stab to the kidneys and a hack right to the back of her neck. She went limp almost immediately, but she was now pinning down the only ally I had, and new soldiers were coming up the stairs.


    I chose to rush them, snarling in rage, and redoubled my efforts to swing my sword in strong arcs. Naturally, the defenders retaliated, but I got lucky in the end. The knight had chosen to pull that stunt precisely because the tower was running out of men. I only had to put down three soldiers before the tide of battle stilled, and I found myself panting in a blood-soaked stairwell.


    My limbs felt heavy, laden with blood loss and with the strain of everything I¡¯d done. But I was still standing. Though I was still bleeding from a sizeable number of cuts, the wounds were clustered on my arms and legs. The only line of fire stinging on my torso was the one I¡¯d earned from my fellow demonic soldier.


    That line of thought reminded me to check on my downed ally. I found her struggling under the weight of the knight, who had managed to get in a single blow before she perished. Now my fellow soldier had a solid foot of steel inside her gut.


    I couldn¡¯t help her. I was neither knowledgeable about first aid nor inclined to try. I could, however, do one thing for her.


    ¡°Sorry.¡±


    I muttered the word quietly, but she must have heard me because her eyes locked on mine. There was just enough time for panic to flare in their green depths before I slashed her throat.


    I left her choking on the ground as I stumbled down the blood-slicked stairs. Corpses were kind of hard to maneuver around, even if the defenders had tried to drag their dead comrades aside in order to clear the way up.


    I counted a total of thirteen bodies. Thirteen lives that were now extinguished because I had succumbed to orders given to me by a literal demon.


    I was too tired and numb to be upset about that, but I filed away the memory anyway. I¡¯d hang onto it carefully, just so I could never deny my own sins. The thought lightened my steps, making it easier to reach the bottom of the stairs.


    ¡°Oh, thank the gods.¡± The whimper that met me was pure relief. ¡°I thought ¡ª¡±


    The man cut off when our eyes met. Whatever he saw in my expression was enough to tell him I wasn¡¯t a friend. He let out a choked cry, then spun and tried to frantically knock away a whole collection of furniture pressed against the tower¡¯s door.


    Three steps closer and a single stab. That¡¯s all it took to end the life of what was probably a civilian. He stared at me with wide, accusing eyes as he died, but that was getting easier and easier to ignore.


    Another look around confirmed it: I now stood in a tower full of the dead, and little else. There were a few knickknacks around, including a few bows and empty quivers of arrows. At least that told me why the defenders hadn¡¯t fired at us, but I was still confused about how they could have spent all their ammunition already. There weren¡¯t that many dead invaders outside the tower.


    That was when my aching body really began making its needs known. As the knocking on the tower door subsided, I began to pry myself out of the armor to inspect the damage, working as quickly as possible. Despite the fact that I was alone and relatively secure, I somehow felt like I was stripping in front of a herd of lions.


    My body really was a mess. I had four deep wounds that probably required stitches, and over twenty shallower cuts. I looked like I had taken a swan dive into a pile of very hostile cats.


    For lack of better options, I quickly bound everything with my recently acquired bandages, then suited up once again. Every single cut stung something fierce like they were soon to be infected, but I didn¡¯t exactly have some kind of disinfectant on hand. Besides, I was far more likely to die of a blade than an infection with everything going on.


    With that cheerful thought, I made my way back upstairs, carefully looking for any sign of soul crystals. Irritatingly, I found not a single one until I finally approached the corpse of the demonic soldier I had killed myself.


    She yielded two.


    I knew for a fact that she¡¯d killed at least five of the soldiers. The fact that I couldn¡¯t even get the full amount of souls she reaped frustrated me. Still, the final count of my loot sent a jolt of relief through my body.


    I now had a total of sixteen souls on my hands.


    If I could somehow survive until the end of this madness, I was officially safe.

 Chapter 6: Demonic Intervention

    The realization that I had reaped, directly or indirectly, over ten souls did something to me. A shudder passed through my own soul, and the insistent compulsion towards more murder lost most of its strength. It was still there, just intense enough to make me slightly uncomfortable, no longer overwhelming. The voice that was urging me to get to the tower door and rip down the barricade dropped to a whisper. My limbs stopped twitching.


    With a shaky breath, I sank to my knees and let my exhaustion take over.


    I had been holding myself together through sheer obsession and the need to survive, bulldozing past one event after another. The silent, mindless wait before we were sent into battle was the closest thing I¡¯d gotten to rest, and that had been spent in a daze of fear and doubt ¡ª fear that I would slip back into the essence-slurping void at any moment, and doubt that the world around me was actually real.


    Now that I had a moment to think, to process, I felt like my entire being was on the verge of unraveling. Through all the anxiety now bubbling up to the surface, only one question seemed to matter.


    Who was I?


    I reached for memories.


    Instantly, my mind slammed right into the void that I somehow managed to escape. The darkness was ubiquitous, and the only thing that ever broke it was the slurping presence. I shuddered just remembering it.


    I shuddered again, more violently, because I could now sense a fragment of that presence burning in my chest.


    My breath was nothing but short gasps, forced through clenched teeth. Even the faded pounding on the tower¡¯s door was not enough to distract me from the downward spiral of my own turmoil.


    It was there, in the very depths of anguish, that I caught a glimpse of something different.


    A life. My life.


    Slowly, faces rose from the darkness, belonging to people whose names I no longer knew. Some I felt a burning fondness for. Others elicited distaste. But the appearance of each and every one filled the gaping hole within me.


    More and more memories resurfaced, the details surprisingly vivid. Hobbies. Favorite foods. My collection of books and games. The evenings I spent with my friends, chatting or playing a board game. A wild night out on the town after we downed more drinks than was healthy.


    There were still gaps in the life I was remembering, but the memories I did have proved one thing: I was a real person. I wasn¡¯t just a fragment of someone long dead, haunting the husk of a mindless demonic soldier.


    But I still couldn¡¯t remember my name.


    The realization burned, especially when I knew that I¡¯d likely never get that detail back. It was gone, along with other fragments of myself, nibbled away by that overwhelming presence. And then my world stuttered and then shattered once again. That life wasn¡¯t the only thing lurking in the back of my head.


    With the force of an exploding cork, other memories flooded into me.


    The memories of Hayden Hall.


    They were even more fragmented than my own. I caught only snatches of them, ones that defined Hayden¡¯s identity.


    Hayden Hall was raised in a demonic camp. His world had fallen to demons when he was very young, too young to remember a different regime, and so demons were all that he knew. He wasn¡¯t sure what made him special enough to be set on the warrior track, but he was grateful for it.


    Because the alternative was slavery.


    No one wanted to be a slave. To be a slave was to be a toy, readily available for labor, amusement, or whatever else the higher classes of humans saw fit to demand. They were a shared resource, brought in to serve the whims of the warrior recruits and camp staff. Their presence was a constant visible reminder that things could be much worse.


    As such, no one needed encouragement to work hard, and Hayden Hall worked harder than anyone. He produced top results in all his tests. He was marked down as one of the few mana-sensitive humans, even getting special lessons on how to leverage that in small ways.


    And all throughout his life, he was aware of the demons: watching, waiting, evaluating. They were always simply there, the invincible overlords.


    They didn¡¯t abuse anyone, or claim any special ¡®privileges¡¯ from the humans under their purview. They didn¡¯t even deign to lay a hand on a slave. They just watched.


    And when the day came for Hayden and his generation to be tested for fitness, hoping to become soldiers in the grand army of the Duke of Torment, Hayden was naturally chosen and honored as the top recruit.


    He was so proud then, his chest blazing with the desire to prove himself. He was proud right up to the moment they were led through the portal, until he reached the end of the line, and the demon on duty thrust a ball of fire into the core of Hayden¡¯s being.


    Then his world had burned, fracturing his mind and shattering his soul.


    <hr>


    I woke up with a start. I must have passed out right there on the floor of the tower, my cheek slimy from the grimy tiles. Sitting up with a groan, I put some effort into wiping myself clean, but there wasn¡¯t much point. I was covered in dust, grime, and blood already. Even getting most of the dirt out of my wounds would be a challenge.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.


    Moving as swiftly as my stiff limbs would allow, I went up the stairs and glanced out the nearest window. I didn¡¯t know when the invasion had started, but I remembered the sun being up during the initial charge. We were now comfortably into twilight, the fort city twinkling in the light cast by burning buildings and the torches lining the inner walls.


    Apparently, I hadn¡¯t wasted much time with my unconscious memory-dive, but my relief was cut short by the emergence of a different problem.


    I couldn¡¯t remember how to think.


    Hayden Hall had led a lonely, regimented life. Honestly, people in the strictest military systems back in my original world likely kept more freedom and rights than demonic recruits did. He was told what to think, what to do, and when to do it.


    Now I was in his body, with only fragments of memories and no compelling direction other than the ever-present murder-compulsion.


    It didn¡¯t help that the few memory fragments from Hayden were very nearly useless. The only possibly relevant bits of information were about mana and how to wield it. Apparently, Hayden¡¯s camp leaders had spent precious little time actually teaching their recruits how to murder someone with a sword. Or, if those lessons were more frequent, I inherited very few of them.


    Besides mana-related memories, the only other Hayden fragments I found valuable were about the few times he had witnessed demons interacting. They were fond of jeering and using humans as entertainment, often betting on one thing or another.


    These memories were useful because they clarified the demons¡¯ currency of choice: souls.


    I knew I needed to collect ten in order to meet my quota, but I hadn¡¯t thought about what to do with the leftovers. Now, thanks to Hayden, I knew I could use those souls to establish myself in this army.


    The new thought brought me to another pause. Did I have to continue serving in this army? Theoretically, with most of the other soldiers oblivious to my presence, I could try to sneak away. I didn¡¯t know much about the world I was in now, but it had to be better than a literal army from hell.


    Right?


    The first thing that stopped me from entertaining that idea further was fear. I had no clue what demons were really capable of, but I knew they could use powerful magic, and I was branded by their ball of fire. That sent up a whole lot of warning signals.


    Ironically, the second thing that stopped me was another wave of Hayden¡¯s memories. My memories now. He had wanted nothing more than to join up and progress through the ranks of demonic hierarchy. Serving in this army was his dearest dream. And even though none of those desires were my own, it sure felt like they were.


    So, where did that leave me? I could hunker down and try to wait out the rest of the invasion. The city was well on its way to falling, I had more than enough souls to qualify me as a survivor, and the demons hadn¡¯t yet personally involved themselves in the conflict. I could guess that once they did, things would only get worse for the defenders.


    In other words, ¡®do nothing¡¯ was a very solid option.


    On the other hand¡­ Where would that leave me?


    I would be one of the many freshly inducted humans who barely squeaked by the basic requirements. The demons sent us into this battle with a single weapon and the clothes on our backs. That was it. It didn¡¯t take a genius to figure out that they were unlikely to provide anything better for future combat encounters.


    No, if I wanted to really establish myself and get some useful gear, I had to buy it. And for that to be possible, I needed to get out there and kill more humans.


    Or I could rob my fellow soldiers.


    The realization of what I could do certainly painted the only other cognizant recruit I¡¯d met in a different light. The man who tried to kill me had obviously considered himself superior to the dregs of the army, and he¡¯d been set on proving it.


    Did I want to follow his example?


    More importantly, what was the alternative?


    The demons would just keep throwing me into the charnel house of invasions. I was willing to bet on that. Without gear, without advanced info, without more power, I would eventually get unlucky. A single strike would be enough to take me out and hurl me back into that void.


    In the end, it all came down to one simple question: was I willing to kill in order to stay alive?


    As I gripped the handle of my sword, my determination crystallized.


    Suddenly I laughed, loudly and shrilly. My new resolve made it painfully obvious that I definitely belonged here. There was no avoiding that truth anymore.


    When I died in my first life, I ended up in hell.


    That¡¯s what it was, nibbling away at my soul. Hayden had heard the ¡®Will of Hell¡¯ mentioned enough times by demons and instructors to know it was a thing, even before a fragment of it was shoved into his chest.


    And I was willing to do whatever it took never to meet it face to face again. Anything. Even something that condemned me to hell.


    Before I could follow through on my newfound determination and storm out of the tower in search for victims, the sound of a drum shook the very foundations of the city.


    A slow, steady beat at first, it was soon joined by a host of others. Venturing higher, I reached the top of the tower and stepped out onto the wall. The gust of frigid wind that hit me did nothing to douse the murderous flames now licking through my veins.


    The demons were massing outside the city, back where they set up camp on our arrival into this world. They were led by a line of brutes almost half as tall as the city walls themselves, each with an enormous drum hanging from their necks. These drummers were crafting a heady melody out of that single instrument, and I could feel something deep within me responding to their orchestra. It was magic, it had to be, especially considering the new strength surging through me with every beat.


    I felt like I could fly, like a single punch could obliterate the tower behind me. My wounds flared up in mind-blistering pain, then dulled and faded away entirely. I clumsily ripped away one of my bandages, watching in wonder as the wound beneath healed in seconds.


    Then the hulking brutes started chanting.


    Their voices ripped through the air, the alien words forcing themselves into the ears of every living thing inside the city. To my shock, I could understand them.


    This wasn¡¯t like a mortal language. Each word was more of an impression, evoking images and feelings that blended together to convey meaning.


    The demons spoke of anger, of slaughter, of business left undone. They spoke of the cold hatred that the dead harbored for the living. They spoke of vengeance taken on those who got to live another day, while the dead were left behind to rot.


    The dead were listening.


    I didn¡¯t notice anything at first. But when I glanced back towards the city, I noticed some corpses twitching down on the ground. The sight was unnerving enough that I managed to tear my eyes away from the demonic spectacle outside, giving the city¡¯s dead my full attention.


    As the song rose into a frenzy, as the demons lamented and taunted in one breath, the bodies of the slain defenders rose. Eyes ignited with glaring red flames, their fingers searched for weapons they had dropped in death.


    A roar rose from near me, and I watched in stunned silence as the brute whose spear I stole tore his way through a wall, his face frozen in a blend of hatred and resentment. He seemed different from the rest of the corpses, as though more of him had made it back through the veil of death.


    And now it was focused wholly on the death of the living.


    This new threat almost made me reconsider my determination to earn more souls, but much to my relief, the undead streamed right past the few other demonic soldiers I spotted down below. Their hatred seemed wholly reserved for their past allies.


    Well, if the demons were finally willing to get off their asses and assist, I could hardly continue to hide in the darkness of a half-fallen tower.


    It was time to fight.

 Chapter 7: Creepy Crawlies

    Ironically, the march of the dead was far more orderly than the initial charge of the demonic army. The dead clustered together every time they crossed paths, and soon enough, a massive tidal wave of bodies was surging towards the final defensive wall.


    The locals didn¡¯t like that.


    The empty space that delineated the cutoff between the outer city and the inner keep was already lined with the ashes of the fallen demonic soldiers. But now, as the dead advanced, I saw defender mages take active interest in the city¡¯s defense for the second time.


    Navigating out of the tower and finding a new spot inside one of the houses closest to the inner wall, I could just about spot the groups of casters. They were dressed in richly adorned robes, and most wore a tiara with jewels that glinted in the light of fires and torches, sending a kaleidoscope of colors dancing over the mana users¡¯ faces.


    The host of undead was probably an unnerving sight, but the mages were unyielding. Again and again, they attacked. First, they would raise their hands and begin a low chant. The jewels in their tiaras would glow. Then, spells would rain down from above, striking at the corpse soldiers who were trying their very best to hack through the gates.


    In spite of their eagerness, however, the mages faltered before the tide of death did. There were simply too many corpses to torch. The entire city had been slaughtered, leaving only the elite few safe behind their final defenses.


    Their power might have been enough against normal foes, but now they were facing corpses enhanced by demonic magic. I got to watch a slip of an undead girl effortlessly tear off a house door and then launch it so forcefully that it reduced the head of a startled mage to mist.


    The girl¡¯s undead comrades quickly followed her example. Rocks, pots, every random item that could be picked up was hurled at the defenders with unnatural strength. It meant the locals needed to expend power and personnel on shields.


    As a nice little cherry on top, the gates were definitely faltering.


    The demonic soldiers had tried and failed to break through in their initial onslaught, but the undead were far more united and determined. And they had demon-magic.


    As I watched, four special undead charged the gate together, all glowing with an unholy red light. One wielded a giant hammer, one a huge sword. The massive spearman I noted before had managed to find a replacement spear. And a rogue-like figure flitted among them, somehow cutting spells out of the air.


    Frankly, I had no clue how any of these defenders had been brought down in the first place, but I was definitely grateful they were on our side now.


    The efforts of the wall staff grew more desperate at the sight of these four undead, their attacks became a hurricane of mana and destruction. But even then, the ¡®special four¡¯ prevailed. The lesser undead literally threw their own bodies into the way of the spells, sacrificing themselves to bring down their former allies.


    Speaking of allies¡­


    I decided to turn my attention from all the drama at the gates and do a little scouting.


    I knew I wasn¡¯t the only surviving demonic soldier. I wasn¡¯t surprised to see scores of my comrades hiding behind houses or peering through windows, watching the battle at the gate. What did surprise me was how calm and prepared they all seemed. They were all demonstrating levelheadedness that either meant they found a way to deal with the command or collected ten souls already.


    They were also much better equipped than before. Everyone now had far more gear than the original distribution, and a few even looked like they were wielding uncommonly powerful weapons. A man with a glowing hatchet stood out to me. So did a woman with a bow that looked to be made of bones and tendons.


    All told, while more than three-fourths of the army had likely perished, we still had a decently sized force waiting for the gate to fall.


    Each and every one of them were my rivals once the attack started again. But they were also rivals I could potentially profit from, since many of them had at least ten soul crystals.


    The idea of killing them didn¡¯t particularly upset me. It was one thing to carry the lives of innocent defenders on my conscience, though my determination to succeed in this new world had grown so much that I felt excited gunning for them too.


    My fellow soldiers?


    Well, not only were they eying each other hungrily, but all of them were probably in the same situation Hayden had once been in: eager and willing to be there. They had signed up to invade a different world and slaughter its inhabitants.


    A bit of murder within the ranks was to be expected.


    My little scouting stroll ended when I heard the dying creak of the gate. The exhausted mages still kept up their assault, but the undead had finally proven themselves more stubborn than wood and steel.


    The breach of the city¡¯s final defenses announced itself with one final groan. The gate collapsed, and every undead fighter streamed into the opening.


    Like most of the surviving soldiers, I didn¡¯t immediately follow. We watched and waited like jackals, eyeing each other to see who would be the first to lunge at the carcass of this city.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Finally, someone made a move. A scruffy-looking man lunged at another demonic soldier whose skin, I realized with a start, was bright blue. The scruffy soldier managed to catch the blue guy unaware, his dagger biting right through his victim¡¯s spine.


    The clatter of soul crystals hitting the ground announced the start of pandemonium. Some of the demonic soldiers chose to run towards the main battle of the siege, but many stayed to fight each other.


    I was one of them.


    My first victim was a man who looked to be about my own age, wielding a short-handled hammer. He was so focused that he barely saw me approach. His eyes, fixed on a fleeing soldier, were full of hatred and anger. I extinguished them with a brutal blow to his head from the pommel of my sword.


    The man went down in a heap, making it easy to slit his throat and be done with it. He burst into ashes a moment later, and I scrambled to shove six brand new soul crystals into my bag before anyone snatched them away.


    Everywhere I looked, someone was dying. Even groups that had entered the fray together were fracturing quickly, as some members managed to grab more wealth than others. Which then led to a cycle of violence and backstabbing.


    I participated with relish.


    Here was a chance to lose myself in it all. The murder compulsion, along with my initial brutal actions in the invasion, had left behind a current of dark impulses. It was like a toxic lover¡¯s heat, lingering in the bed long after their departure.


    I gave in to that current, letting it sweep me away.


    It was easy to block out the faces of my previous, innocent victims by replacing them with the twisted expressions of my fellow demonic soldiers. This came with the additional comfort of knowing that I was definitely killing heinous human beings, each with their own bag of souls.


    Well, mostly human beings. Several times in the mindless melee, I came face to face with humanoids that were definitely not of my own race.


    I cut down what must have been an elf of some kind, the man trying to gurgle out one final spell even as life left his eyes. It had been a nasty surprise when he started shooting sickly green rays of light from his hands, and my thigh stung fiercely where one of those spells had tried to eat its way through my flesh.


    I was also responsible for the death of a cat-like man whose weapons of choice were his claws, and who left behind several long gouges in my arms as a parting gift.


    The last of my non-human encounters was what I guessed to be a harpy. She managed to swoop down, close the talons of her feet firmly around my shoulders, and take off in an instant. If I hadn¡¯t managed to strike above me quickly enough, luckily landing the blow right on her leg, she probably would have dropped me from a height that would crush every bone in my body, instead of a few measly feet.


    That one I failed to kill. She just shot me a venom-filled glare and then ascended higher into the sky, looking for easier victims.


    On and on we fought, comrade after comrade falling to my blade. Their faces were starting to blur. The streets were now slick underfoot, too covered by blood and ash to provide stable footing for the dance of death we were all willingly engaged in. Wounds piled up on my body, and I kept fighting on, ignoring the pain and exhaustion. I was pulled forward by my guilt at killing those helpless defenders and pushed onwards by my greed to carve out a better life for myself.


    Our numbers were also dwindling. It was hard to tell in the heat of battle, but out of the hundreds of soldiers who had passed through the portal, I was reasonably sure that less than a hundred had actually survived.


    Finally, some unseen signal must have gone up to end the dance. We all went still, panting and eying each other warily. Then my other senses caught up with me, and I could actually feel it.


    A roiling miasma of power was crawling over us, dimming our urges and greed.


    ¡°Enough.¡±


    The demon¡¯s voice was cavalier, like he was ordering unruly children to behave instead of chastising soldiers for killing each other.


    ¡°The best have earned their place, and the weak have been revealed for what they are.¡± The demon appeared at the edge of our combat area, surveying us with gleaming eyes. ¡°I will not allow any senseless slaughter past this point.¡±


    I recognized the demon immediately. It was the same commander with crown-like horns who had first ordered us to charge.


    Now that I had the time and inclination to inspect him, I could admit this demon was impressive. He wore just enough armor to cover his vitals, yet left most of his dark red skin exposed. His body rippled with every step he took as his powerful muscles squirmed. His eyes, a steely gray cut through by red pupils, assessed us with expert attentiveness.


    I knew the demon was a monster, in every meaning of the word. That didn¡¯t stop me from standing straighter when his eyes landed on me. A hint of something like approval appeared in his gaze, and my chest swelled.


    ¡°You have proven yourselves above your fellows, base creatures that they are. Therefore, you will get to bear witness as we wipe out this pathetic nest of humanity and claim it for ourselves. You will even be able to extract your own tithe in blood and souls, if you are skilled enough. Follow.¡±


    We followed.


    With Hayden¡¯s talents under my belt, I could feel the demon¡¯s mana reach out and nudge each of us. I didn¡¯t fight it. I let it direct me the same way it pulled the others, corralling us into neat rows until we actually resembled a marching army.


    Overhead, the last few fighting mages noticed our procession immediately. Arcs of spells came barreling our way.


    After a single glance, the demon ignored them all. His confidence proved valid when a dome of red mana appeared over our entire group. The spells bounced harmlessly off the dome, then winked out.


    In retaliation, our commander raised his left arm in a careless motion. A whip formed within his grip and cracked out. It extended well past the top of the wall, effortlessly slicing through every human who happened to be in its way.


    Screams and whimpers of terror heralded the humans¡¯ scramble to get out of the demon¡¯s range, clearing the wall of most remaining threats in moments. The few that stuck around met their end with just another few cracks of the commander¡¯s whip.


    He scoffed, but I sensed a hint of respect in his mood for those who tried to face him down until the very end.


    Compared to all the chaos and violence of my previous battles, this was literally and metaphorically a stroll. The demon advanced, and all who dared to face him simply perished.


    When we finally ventured past the opening in the wall, we were greeted by the clamor of battle. Demonic soldiers and undead alike were tearing into the human troops, but this time, their quarry was a little tougher to bring down.


    Already, two of the four special undead were gone, their remains scattered across the ground. Facing down the other two was a band of knights that literally shone with an inner light, and whose commander more than matched up to any fighter I¡¯d seen so far in size and ferocity.


    There were other champions of humanity there too. A woman wielding two flaming swords. A man with a lightning bolt for a spear. An archer who stood on the roof of the inner keep, his arrows tearing furrows into the ground. A knight wielding a mallet, his armor oversized and strangely shaped, like a stack of onions. There was even a diminutive mage, floating several feet off the ground as grimoires and orbs orbited her. They all stood in the path of the demonic army.


    The demon looked at them, then smiled.


    ¡°Right. Let us begin.¡±

 Chapter 8: Resistance

    ¡°Surrender and pledge your allegiance to me, and I will spare your lives.¡±


    The demon¡¯s announcement echoed through the courtyard that separated the keep from the gate. For just a moment, all combat paused.


    It seemed obvious to me that the demon¡¯s offer was only for the most powerful remaining defenders. But some of the basic local troops responded first. They collapsed to their knees and laid their weapons on the ground.


    Meanwhile, not one of the defenders the demon actually wanted to spare indicated they had even heard the offer. Instead, they began to converge on the demon, reaping the lives of any undead or demonic soldier that came between them and their new foe.


    Screams tore through the air as combat resumed in earnest.


    The demon snorted, but he looked pleased rather than angry. ¡°Expected. Very well, then. Know that you will be felled by Naberius, the right hand of the Grand Duke of Torment!¡±


    Declaration made, the demon grasped at the air in front of him. The temperature in the entire courtyard plummeted. I could feel frost crystals creeping over my skin.


    Frozen, both literally and figuratively, I watched in awe as ice sprouted from the demon¡¯s closed fist. A vicious spike jutted from the bottom while a dazzling flower unfurled from the top. Then, out of the flower, a blade of the purest ice emerged, growing until the demon held a jagged sword.


    Faster than my eyes could follow, he appeared right in front of the woman wielding two flaming blades.


    To her credit, she managed to lash out with both her swords. Unfortunately, as soon as her weapons got near Naberius, their flames sputtered and then snuffed out entirely. The demon¡¯s blade glowed with an inner light, like it had somehow fed on his enemy¡¯s fire.


    And then Naberius swung his ice-sword.


    It bit straight into the woman¡¯s right shoulder, and just kept going. The blade sundered her from shoulder to hip. Her body fell apart in two halves, both pieces frozen so well that they didn¡¯t even chip as they hit the stone pavement with a clatter.


    I heard a scream somewhere overhead. Looking up, I saw the roof-standing archer redoubling his efforts. One arrow turned into two, which turned into four, multiplying again and again until the volley resembled a deadly meteor shower.


    The arrows streaked towards Naberius with pinpoint accuracy. The hulking monster just smirked and stabbed his sword into the ground.


    A wave of frost erupted from the stones, covering the whole courtyard and everything in it at a terrifying speed. Somehow, the ice swept over me and the other demonic subordinates without even ruffling our clothes.


    The locals were not so lucky.


    Two of the notable defenders, the mage and holy warrior, fended off the ice with a blaze of mana and holy power respectively. But even they nearly faltered, which meant their comrades didn¡¯t even stand a chance.


    Frost raced across the ground and crawled up the defenders¡¯ bodies, except for the ones who had surrendered. Screams turned into whimpers as mouths froze over. Soon, all the local troops in the courtyard were little more than fancy ice sculptures.


    The frost-wave also tore through the air, completely disrupting the rain of arrows. The missiles simply winked out mid-flight. Only one, the original arrow, continued on its course. Naberius swatted it aside with the back of his hand, not even flinching at the minor explosion that followed.


    Again, Naberius grasped at the air in front of him. The fire whip reappeared in his hand, unfurling into twelve strands of flame. The fiery tendrils cut through the ground, the wall, and several of the defenders before converging on the archer.


    The man dropped his bow and drew a pair of short swords. Struggling to cover his own retreat, he swung the blades in a rapid blur, managing to deflect or split eight of the demon¡¯s fire-strands.


    The other four found their mark.


    The archer screamed as flaming tendrils entangled his body, searing his skin. Grunting, Naberius gave the whip a sharp tug, cutting through more of the human¡¯s flesh as he recalled the whip. Then he cast the weapon aside into a shower of deadly sparks and hefted his ice-sword again.


    The remaining defenders flinched as the pieces of the archer¡¯s body slid off the roof, pelting the pavement where his arrows had struck moments before.


    For a moment, there was a stalemate. None of the remaining champions looked eager to charge into combat ¡ª not the spearman, not the knight, not the holy warrior, and definitely not the mage. The former two were still half-stuck in ice and the mage kept stealing glances at the inner keep, like she was tempted to bolt for it.


    ¡°You may still choose to surrender now,¡± Naberius said, his voice was calm and flat like he was pointing out the most obvious of facts. ¡°I will not begrudge your desire to protect your homeland. But surely, you must see that such a prospect is hopeless? The least you can do is stand down now and have a say in how your people are treated in the future.¡±


    ¡°You would promise us power under your regime then, beast?¡± The knight¡¯s tone made it clear just how much confidence he had in their chances of fair treatment.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Honestly, I agreed with his assessment of the situation. Hayden¡¯s memories made it equally clear exactly what the demons did to the worlds they conquered.


    ¡°Trust me or don¡¯t, it is your choice,¡± Naberius said. ¡°Know that you will die here unless you bend the knee. Your world is destined for destruction, but you and yours do not have to share that fate.¡±


    That was enough for the mage. Her mana suddenly cut off, and she let her combat gear clatter to the ground. Under the demon¡¯s approving stare, she trotted over to the kneeling soldiers who¡¯d been spared a frosty death.


    ¡°Traitor!¡± the spear holder hissed. He looked ready to charge at the mage with his lightning bolt weapon.


    ¡°Traitor, or a wise woman?¡± Naberius¡¯s sigh echoed through the courtyard with supernatural loudness, forestalling any stupid moves from the mage¡¯s former comrades. ¡°At least she will live to see another sunrise. This is your last warning. I cherish talent, and you clearly have it in abundance. But I will not let you delay us further. We have a schedule to keep.¡±


    The spear holder screamed and tore through the courtyard, in the most literal sense. His charge was so powerful that the icy stone pavement cracked under his feet. As he ran, he seemed to merge with his weapon, fusing with its electric power until the line between lightning and flesh was just a matter of perspective.


    The demon didn¡¯t bother to react. He just stood there, letting the spearman crash straight into him, looking bored as the exotic weapon met his unholy flesh.


    The flesh won.


    As soon as the lightning spear hit the demon, the weapon exploded. The man was reduced to a screaming wreck, arcs of electricity sparking off of him as the recoil of his own power wreaked havoc on his body. Naberius raised his foot calmly and brought it down on the man¡¯s head with a sickening squelch.


    There was a moment of horrified silence.


    It was the knight who spoke next. His odd onion armor gave his voice a strange, disturbing echo. I had to stop myself from covering my ears.


    ¡°I do so hate to say this, brother mine,¡± the knight said. ¡°But it appears we must fight together.¡±


    The holy warrior paused, sighed, and nodded. ¡°That does appear to be the case. Well, I did say I¡¯d rather die than acknowledge you again, but there¡¯s not much difference between that and suicide. Besides, my patrons would be rather upset if I failed to stop this demon.¡±


    The demon spread his arms, giving his opponents the right of first move. ¡°Come forth then, and have your mettle tested.¡±


    For a beat, nothing happened. Then a thrum echoed from each knight, building as it bounced back and forth between them. It was even more unpleasant than the knight¡¯s armor-amplified voice.


    I clenched my teeth together, fighting the urge to cover my ears. That would be a sign of weakness and I could not afford such a display in front of my peers or my commander.


    Weakness meant death.


    Finally, when both knights were glowing with the force of their shared power, they launched their city¡¯s final defense.


    They moved much faster than before, and with a fluidity that stunned me. Their attacks were a choreographed dance as they darted around their enemy, working together without ever getting in each other¡¯s way.


    Naberius let them get close, then lashed out. His sword carved a jagged furrow straight through the chest of the holy warrior, but the human didn¡¯t flinch. I watched, mesmerized, as the frozen gash began sealing up instantly. Even more impressive, the holy warrior continued his attack, ignoring his ruined chest muscles and bringing his own sword down on the demon¡¯s shoulder.


    For the first time, I saw a wound appear on Naberius¡¯s flesh. Unnaturally bright crimson blood oozed from the cut, spitting and hissing upon exposure to the air.


    At the same time, the other knight¡¯s mallet landed on the demon¡¯s hip with a crack, making the demon commander stumble.


    But the demon laughed. It was a terrible sound, full of unholy mirth and excitement and absolute bloodlust. If the knight¡¯s voice made me want to cover my ears, the demon commander¡¯s laugh made me want to curl up and hide.


    Before the knights could attack again, Naberius surged forward. Faster than anything I had ever seen a living being move, he gripped the holy warrior by the neck and slammed him into the wall that had kept the demonic troops out the entire day. I couldn¡¯t see it from my angle, but I could vividly picture the vicious smile on my commander¡¯s face as he flexed his legs and started grinding the human¡¯s body against the unforgiving rock.


    The holy warrior screamed and thrashed, trying to wiggle out of the demon¡¯s grasp, but it was a vain endeavor. By the time Naberius ran out of wall, all that remained of the warrior was half a body and one long, grisly smear on the stone. The demon let the half-body drop, deader than dead.


    The remaining knight screamed in anguish, raising his weapon once more. I should have felt touched, or at least horrified. Instead, I just felt disbelief. After everything he¡¯d witnessed, did he actually think he stood a chance of survival?


    Regardless of my opinions on the subject, the man was clearly determined to try grinding my commander into paste. He swung his mallet again and again, but without his fellow knight¡¯s power backing him up, his efforts were woefully lacking.


    The demon gave another sigh. Looking more bored than ever, he swung his sword at the knight, cutting through his armor easily.


    Then the icy weapon got stuck.


    At the same time, a cloud of spores erupted from the man¡¯s plate armor, covering both the knight and the demon. The commander actually staggered for a few seconds, choking and coughing, before he managed to teleport halfway across the courtyard to get away from the knight.


    The human turned, and I got my first glimpse inside his armor. It consisted of many hollow layers, stacked together to give him his bloated, onion-like appearance. Each of those layers was filled with toxic spore-tossing fungi.


    The fight to keep from covering my ears was lost in my fight to avoid vomiting.


    ¡°You will die for that, demon,¡± the enraged man snarled. He began walking towards Naberius with determined steps, leaving a trail of spores in his wake.


    The demon was still coughing, but I didn¡¯t see any fear or concern on his face. He just looked deeply annoyed as he fixed the approaching knight with a glare.


    The knight raised his mallet. ¡°I shall ¡ª¡±


    The demon raised his hand. A torrent of flames burst from his palm, cutting off the knight¡¯s final words. The fire blazed across the courtyard, glowing red to white and finally blue as it engulfed every spore, all the fungi within the knight¡¯s armor, and the knight itself.


    Note to self: don¡¯t piss off extremely powerful demons.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s that.¡± Snarling, the demon turned away from the devastation he had unleashed. He turned his full attention on the mage who had surrendered. ¡°I can feel one more superior human soul within this keep, different than the rest of these basic souls. Take us to your former leader, and we shall finish this.¡±


    Pale and sweating, the mage nodded rapidly and began walking into the keep.


    The demon glanced at me and my comrades. He raised his brow. Driven by instinct, I set off after the woman at a march.


    Apparently, that was the right thing to do. Along with a couple other soldiers who reacted the same, I received a small approving smile from my commander.


    I really hoped that meant I could avoid getting fired.


    Literally and metaphorically.

 Chapter 9: Claim

    I felt oddly conflicted as the mage led us down the halls of the keep. It wasn¡¯t because I just witnessed a slaughter that made the morning¡¯s bloodbath seem trivial. It wasn¡¯t even because Naberius¡¯s little show had clearly demonstrated my place at the very bottom of the demonic hierarchy.


    It was because part of me was starting to relish the idea of wielding power like that someday. No matter how many times I pushed the longings for power down, they kept bubbling up within me, influenced in no small part by Hayden¡¯s remnant memories.


    I had made my choice in the tower. The only way to survive was to keep pursuing this violent path. But the hunger for power? A burning desire not just to survive, but to rise through the ranks? I knew I was missing some of my own memories, but I was pretty sure that went against my original pre-Hayden nature.


    Then again, as a demonic soldier and body snatcher, there wasn¡¯t much ¡®natural¡¯ left in me.


    I tried to focus on my surroundings rather than my inner turmoil, but there wasn¡¯t much to see. The fortress keep¡¯s sole purpose was to provide a decent defensive position if the locals were ever forced to fall back all the way to the city¡¯s heart. No decorations. Little to no furniture. Just endless blank walls and numerous passages meant to confound an invading force.


    All the clever designs were pointless in the face of a demon as powerful as our commander.


    The defenders tried anyway.


    Teams of assassins leapt from the shadows. Troop after troop of knights blocked our path. At one point, two mages on par with the previous champions appeared. All tried desperately to strike down the demon strolling at the head of our procession.


    He made a game out of never killing an enemy group the same way twice.


    His fire and ice magic came out first, obliterating the first wave of defenders in a matter of seconds. After that, he started to get creative.


    Shadows sprang up and turned into nooses that left assassins dangling from the ceiling. The floor opened up and swallowed the two mages. On one particularly notable occasion, he made an entire troop of knights turn on each other and slaughter themselves in mindless rage.


    He left the final survivor sobbing on the ground, the man¡¯s mind so far gone that he wasn¡¯t a threat to even the weakest demonic soldier. Not that this moment of mercy mattered much. As I passed the man, I heard the sound of a knife leaving its sheath, followed by wet gurgling.


    I didn¡¯t even flinch. Compared to the literal hell my life had become, the man¡¯s suicide meant nothing to me.


    What did stir my interest was our arrival at the innermost chamber of the fortress¡¯ keep. An absolutely massive table dominated the center of the room, with a map strewn over its entire length. From my position, I couldn¡¯t inspect the map in detail, but I could see it depicted a huge continent spanning a multitude of kingdoms. It looked like the largest kingdom, the one in the center, had driven all its neighbors to the edges of the landmass. Figures and notes were crammed into that kingdom¡¯s space on the map, likely denoting important troop movements.


    It all went right over my head. Neither Hayden nor I had received any map training, and I couldn¡¯t decipher the foreign writing. But the longer I stared at the strange letters, they began shift around, slowly rearranging themselves into something I could recognize.


    ¡°It has come to this then,¡± an elderly man in full plate armor said with a bitter voice. He stood at the head of the table, helmet under one arm, glaring at our commander with fearless hatred. His aristocratic face was unnaturally pale. ¡°Do you intend to make me beg for my life too? I assume that is what my daughter did, considering she led you here.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Naberius sounded amused. He glanced at the mage, who winced and dropped her eyes. ¡°I had no idea you were so¡­ important.¡±


    ¡°She is not,¡± her father said harshly. ¡°She is a traitor, and nothing more. I warn you, demon, you might as well kill me now. I will not ¡ª¡±


    The man¡¯s voice cut off with a wheeze as the demon teleported right next to him in a dramatic shower of sparks and closed his fingers around the human¡¯s throat.


    Casually, the demon said, ¡°It appears there has been a misunderstanding. I was sent to conquer this land. For that, certain traditions must be kept. And those traditions, I¡¯m afraid, quite thoroughly preclude your survival.¡±


    Then, with the same apparent nonchalance, the demon drove his right hand into the man¡¯s stomach.


    The enemy leader screamed. His daughter doubled over, covering her eyes.


    ¡°Hmmm¡­ let¡¯s see¡­¡± my commander muttered to himself. His hand was still buried inside the man¡¯s stomach, rooting around in search of something specific. ¡°I¡¯m going to need four volunteers, so¡­ yes, you will do nicely.¡±This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    His eyes flashed, and four of my fellow soldiers disappeared from our ranks, appearing in equidistant locations around the city¡¯s unfortunate ruler.


    Naberius began to chant. His voice rose and fell in an oddly calming cadence, echoing off the walls until it felt like there was a whole chorus chanting with him. As the chanting reached a crescendo, cracks started to form across the chamber¡¯s walls, ripping through the very fabric of reality. A reddish glow leaked through the cracks, casting a sickly glow over the gruesome scene.


    My mind was drowning in a strange mix of horror and awe. I couldn¡¯t comprehend what I was seeing, but I also couldn¡¯t look away.


    I didn¡¯t want to.


    Finally, the demon¡¯s hand found what it was looking for in the enemy leader¡¯s stomach, and pulled. His victim¡¯s flesh tore open even wider, innards spilled out and squirming over the floor like snakes. But not a single drop of blood spilled from the grisly wounds.


    And still, the man kept screaming.


    The commander gently placed his claws right under the human¡¯s neck, sank them deep into his flesh, and pulled down, tearing the man¡¯s chest completely open. It feels wrong to describe such careless violence with a phrase like ¡®surgical precision,¡¯ but there was no other way to put it. The demon was a master.


    The enemy leader was now screaming so loudly I thought I¡¯d go deaf, but Naberius just continued his work undeterred. One by one, he tore out the man¡¯s organs and tossed them carelessly aside. Soon the only thing left in the human¡¯s torso was an angrily thumping heart and its network of arteries.


    The man should have been dead long ago, but he only looked like he was hoping to die. At least his vocal cords had worn out, so the screams had ceased. When Naberius gently laid him on the floor of the room, right in the center of the four-soldier square, his only sign of life was a weak gurgle.


    ¡°Bow.¡±


    The word echoed out of Naberius¡¯s throat, somehow independent of the chant he still maintained, and the soldiers robotically obeyed. They leaned over the tormented human, their heads almost touching.


    Gently, almost lovingly, the commander moved from soldier to soldier. One by one, he cupped his hand around each bowed head. Each time, his claws shot out, slitting each helpless throat.


    It was clear that the soldiers were aware of what was happening. But it was equally clear that there was nothing they could do about it. By the time it was the fourth soldier¡¯s turn, he was shaking so badly that he shouldn¡¯t even have been still standing, but the demon commander¡¯s will held him firmly in place. His throat was cut too, sending his lifeblood spilling over the heart of the fortress city¡¯s leader.


    I watched, transfixed, as the four soldiers¡¯ bodies were forced to pump every last drop of their blood into the man¡¯s chest cavity, nearly filling it up.


    This isn¡¯t possible, a small part of my brain insisted. I ignored it.


    Naberius and his barbaric ritual clearly didn¡¯t care about ¡®possible.¡¯


    When their job was done, the four soldiers collapsed into piles of ash. The commander bent down with a smile on his face. He carefully observed the blood, dipping his fingers in that cast off concentric ripples. Slowly, the blood darkened, itself turning to ash until the man¡¯s chest cavity was filled with the sooty substance.


    The demon plunged his hands into the cavity. With one final heave, he ripped out his enemy¡¯s heart.


    The human¡¯s voice returned. He screamed louder than ever as a wave of light peeled off of his body. For a moment, an ethereal outline of the man hovered above his mangled remains. Then it was sucked into the heart held in the demon¡¯s hand.


    The organ was no longer a thing of flesh and blood. It was entirely crystalline. Yet still it pulsed, sending ripples of reddish mana out into the room.


    The demon spoke. His words thrummed with power, shaking the foundation of reality.


    ¡°Blood of the world, blood of the land, blood of the honored. I bind all three together, and tie them to the blood of your enemies. Let this hallowed heart be an offering, so this plane shall forevermore be connected to the Abyss.¡±


    Suddenly, Naberius cast the heart upon the ground. The ground opened to swallow the offering.


    A moment later, a gush of mana erupted from that opening, so potent and foul that I nearly lost my footing. The hall rippled like waves in a storm. Strange veins of red energy spread through the stone, staining the room with unholy light.


    Some part of me, though I didn¡¯t know whether it belonged to me or to Hayden, knew with absolutely certainty that everything previously under the city leader¡¯s command was now irreversibly marked and corrupted.


    It all belonged to the demons now.


    ¡°Ahhhh¡­¡±


    The demon shook himself off like a dog might, then turned and looked at us with a smile.


    ¡°That always feel so¡­ electrifying. A little piece of home, brought into the material plane to make our jobs a little easier.¡±


    Naberius scanned us again. He nodded. Then he leaned against the table, heedless of any disruption to the map and its carefully positioned markers.


    ¡°I understand that this day has been trying for you. Fear not! It is over. This city is won, and I recognize all of you as soldiers of my legion. That comes with certain benefits.


    ¡°First, in spite of your unfortunate mortal status, you will not be mistreated by others under my command. In fact, so long as you continue to serve me and our master faithfully, I¡¯ll guarantee your prosperity.


    ¡°Second, when you venture outside, you will also discover a whole host of useful services, vendors, and even several establishments you might like to visit. I advise you to square away your dues first, then look into ways to bolster your growth.


    ¡°Third, remember, this is your very first campaign! That means your dues are extremely low at the moment, and you can pursue the many avenues of growth freely. This is a benefit unique to those only just starting out in the legion. Get in as large a burst of growth as you can before the opportunity is cut short. With enough effort, you can cast off your current shackles.


    ¡°Finally, you should take every chance to rest. As I said before, you are only mortal, and we will be heading out soon to further our conquest. For now¡­ dismissed. Ah, not you, my dear.¡± Naberius turned his attention to the human mage. ¡°You are going to stay here so we can have a chat.¡±


    With those ominous words ringing in my ears, I finally gave in to the instinct my body had been screaming at me for a while. Power-walking out of that room, a part of my mind was eager to see the ¡®opportunities¡¯ that Naberius had mentioned.


    But honestly, I was far more relieved to get as far away from his presence as I could.

 Chapter 10: Customer Service

    When I stepped out of the keep, I was disappointed. Nothing about that part of the city had changed, at least not in the grand way I expected. The remnants of combat were still there, filling the air with all sorts of unpleasant smells I rather wished never to experience again.


    When I stepped beyond the inner wall, however, I was in awe.


    The orderly layout of the streets was a thing of the past. The buildings themselves had been transformed, their boring uniform design replaced by rampant individuality. One building resembled a spiraling snail shell trying to stab straight through the sky. Another, which looked like an amalgam of flesh and stone, pulsed and shuddered like it was breathing. Yet another seemed to be made entirely out of black glass.


    For the first time, I actually felt like I¡¯d entered a world of magic and wonder. My emotions fought against the demonic command holding them in check, longing to run free inside my chest. This time, they actually won the battle.


    A true smile spread across my face as I dove right into the nearest shop. This happened to be the snail-inspired building. It was far less whimsical on the inside, just a spherically shaped room with stairs leading up behind a counter and a myriad of shelves to display the merchandise.


    But in this case, ¡®merchandise¡¯ meant snail shells of every conceivable shape and size, including one that took up an entire corner of the store.


    ¡°Ah, come in!¡± The shopkeeper was a small man, hunched over and covered in so many robes that it looked like the weight might crush him at any moment. In a sleazy tone, he continued his appeal, ¡°Come in, dear customer.¡±


    ¡°Um¡­ Can I maybe hear a bit about what you¡¯re selling here?¡± I let my hand fall on the drawstring bag at my waist, which was full and bulging from the all-out battle between survivors.


    The shopkeeper took a moment to evaluate me, his gaze lingering on my purse. Then he snapped to attention.


    ¡°Of course! We are always happy to assist valuable costumers. Now, step this way, please.¡± He guided me to one of the shelves, seemingly at random, and started pulling shells off, placing them on the counter.


    ¡°These are¡­?¡±


    ¡°Wonderful models, yes? All new, of course, no second-hand items in our shop! Freshly enchanted, obviously, with the latest advances in both stability and broadcast distance. You can use one of our devices to contact anyone with a shell of their own within five thousand miles on the mortal plain, or anywhere within your current circle of the Abyss when you make the journey back!¡±


    My lips threatened to twitch into a smile again, but I managed to fight the urge back. ¡°Oh, communication shells, then?¡±


    ¡°Why of course! These models go for only twenty to fifty standard soul units, they¡¯re a steal! Unless of course you¡¯re interested in one of our broadcast models, so you can listen to or start up your own channel? We are, however, obliged to let you know you¡¯d need to register with the administration for that. No illegal channels are supported on our network, oh no!¡±


    I blinked, then blinked again, then shook my head to clear it. Here was an odd-looking demon trying to sell me the demonic equivalent of a smartphone. That realization was enough to drain a lot of the magic and happiness out of the whole venture.


    ¡°Huh, I don¡¯t really need one right now, I¡¯m afraid. I don¡¯t exactly have anyone to call.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡± The demon just shrugged, and then immediately tottered away from me. No small talk, no insistence, just a silent dismissal.


    The change was a bit of a whiplash, but I figured demons weren¡¯t exactly big on customer service. With that interaction out of the way, I quickly hurried out of the shop, then looked around a little more carefully.


    The commander had mentioned services that would bolster our growth, but I didn¡¯t know where to start. Sure, the shops had plenty of signs up, but I couldn¡¯t read any of them, and¡­


    Before I could even finish that thought, all the signs around me wavered. A splitting headache erupted from right behind my eyes. I clutched at my head and staggered up to the side of the snail building, fighting to stay on my feet.


    When the pain finally cleared, I was left gasping for breath. It was a good thing I hadn¡¯t eaten much recently. I absolutely would have thrown up on the spot. As I raised my head back up, however, the signs stopped swimming and the letters on them snapped into sudden clarity.


    The writing wasn¡¯t exactly straightforward. Each letter had many possible meanings attached to it, so the true purpose of the signs only became clear when you strung them all together and pieced together the context. But thanks to whatever that headache had done to my brain, all I had to do was glance at the letters and the meaning would pop into my head.


    I talked to myself as I walked, taking in the various establishments. ¡°Malith¡¯s Forge, Enchanted Trinkets to Bifurcate Your Foes, very specific that one¡­ Useless, useless¡­ No thanks¡­ Ah, there we go.¡±


    The building that finally caught my attention was blunt, both in appearance and purpose. The ¡®Banking Administrative Office of the Torment Legion¡¯ was a dark, looming presence. It didn¡¯t help that the walls were carved with reliefs of people caught in unspeakable agony. Or that the figures writhed within the stone, looking like real souls captured there and left to suffer.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    Chances were high that this was actually the case.


    Taking a deep breath, I forced myself to stroll into the infernal den of the greatest evil that this world had to offer: bureaucracy.


    It was startlingly mundane, even with the live-depictions-of-suffering decor. There were already queues in front of every counter. The seated employees looked both stressed out and bored to death. The center of the room was full of profoundly uncomfortable chairs, clearly designed to make you suffer if you had the nerve to try to ¡®take a load off.¡¯


    So, really, just like an average bank.


    I picked a queue at random and parked myself behind a scared-looking soldier. He kept glancing at all the demons around us, as if afraid they would eat him. He wasn¡¯t the only one ahead of me, and I briefly wondered how much time I had wasted at the snail shell seller.


    Then I realized that I found the terrified soldier wholly unfamiliar. This struck me as odd. Even if I hadn¡¯t exactly memorized every face that joined me in following Naberius to the keep, I did catch a glimpse of most, and I¡¯d always had a good memory for faces.


    No, this guy wasn¡¯t there. If anything, his posture was a dead giveaway.


    ¡°Hey, mind telling me where you were when the city changed?¡± I asked, addressing him bluntly, not caring if I came across as rude.


    The man jumped a foot off the ground, then spun around and shot me a startled look. He must not have liked what he saw. His eyes filled with pure terror as he stammered, ¡°Um, I was just in one of the houses. I ¡ª I got my ten souls, and then all the fighting started, and¡­¡±


    The way he trailed off told me everything I needed to know. I scoffed, making no attempt to conceal my disdain. The man got even paler, and he immediately turned away from me again, but I didn¡¯t care.


    Why didn¡¯t I care?


    Where is all this coming from?


    Indifference was more my natural style, but what I felt for this man was contempt bordering on hatred.


    I did a little internal digging while I waited for the queue to move along, and realized that these feelings came wholly from the Hayden part of my mind. Hayden trained his whole life to join the legion. Getting in was literally his only dream. So the sight of someone so pathetic taking up a spot felt like a personal insult. It was a wrong that needed to be corrected.


    Suddenly, I realized I was calculating in the back of my mind how to lure this waste of space off to an alley and gut him. I shook off those thoughts and impulses with a grimace. It seemed I didn¡¯t just have the demonic command to contend with anymore. I had to be careful of myself too. Or more specifically, of Hayden. Though he was gone and I was in control of this body, an emotionally charged situation could trigger some overwhelming instinct from my predecessor.


    That could turn very bad very quickly.


    Fortunately for my sanity, demons proved to be much more capable administrators than humans. It wasn¡¯t long at all before the little rat in front of me scurried off and it was my turn.


    ¡°How may I help you today?¡± The female demon behind the counter offered me a perfect plastic smile and a nod of her head, like I was an old friend she hadn¡¯t seen in years. She looked like a human, if her purple skin and swishing tail could be ignored.


    ¡°Can I ask what sort of services you offer? This is my first invasion, I¡¯m afraid,¡± I said. It never hurt to be polite with your bank teller, so I was laying it on as thick as I could, dazzling smile included.


    ¡°Certainly. Our system detects that you are currently in possession of 148 souls. You can choose to pay your invasion dues immediately, with no additional tax at this time. Then you can specify how many souls you¡¯d like to deposit with us for safe keeping.¡±


    ¡°And does that particular service come with taxes attached?¡±


    ¡°Of course not, dear customer,¡± chirped the ¡®happy¡¯ bank teller, plastic smile still in place. ¡°However, you should know that the transfer of each soul comes at a cost. We are sending them back to your vault within the Abyss, after all.¡±


    I paused, then carefully eyed the woman. Clearly, there was some sort of benefit to depositing souls. The bags we¡¯d been given were probably not all that secure. Chances were also high for the demonic army to have some kind of hazing culture that included robbing me of my hard-won loot.


    Still, I didn¡¯t like what she was implying. At all.


    ¡°How much does the service cost, exactly?¡± I asked.


    ¡°We charge a soul for transferring a soul to your safe. It¡¯s a one-to-one kind of deal.¡±


    I sucked in a breath sharply, as if the commander had punched me in the gut. She just kept smiling like butter wouldn¡¯t melt in her mouth.


    I opened my mouth to protest, but something about her smile and the eager gleam in her eyes made me pause. Casting my mind back to my recent experiences, I latched onto something Naberius had said.


    ¡°Is that universal? Like, a basic human soul costs one basic human soul to transfer over? Or would a¡­¡± I thought hard to remember the exact words. ¡°A superior human soul also cost a single basic soul?¡±


    The teller¡¯s smile dimmed ever so slightly, and I knew I had her. Then I blinked in confusion as she started to radiate approval.


    ¡°I have to admit, I¡¯m impressed, sweetie,¡± the woman purred. She leaned forward, drawing my attention to her generous bust as she pushed it up with her crossed arms. It was almost enough to distract me from what she said next. ¡°Not many think to ask such a question at all, when they first join up.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m guessing there¡¯s a difference then? What¡¯s the exchange rate?¡±


    She giggled, then tapped a finger to her lips. ¡°Oh hell, why not? You¡¯re certainly cute, and I do like them young.¡± Her voracious expression was off-putting, but I managed to keep a slight smile on my face to show that I was still calm and in control. ¡°It¡¯s typically ten to one, from one tier to the next. Though, things get a bit crazy when you get to really valuable souls. Nothing for you to worry about yet. Doubt you could land those.¡±


    ¡°So, then?¡±


    She sighed and pretended to pout. ¡°Ten lesser souls come up to your basic human soul. Ten of those make up a greater soul. Ten of those make up a superior soul, and so on, and so forth. Those are the only tiers you could conceivably get for now, so don¡¯t make me list them all out.¡±


    ¡°Not a problem,¡± I quickly said, sensing that there was a fine line between her interest and annoyance. ¡°I understand. Last question, exactly how much it costs to transfer a soul? Oh, and is there a way to use them to pay for things around here, if I do opt for a transfer?¡±


    ¡°So pushy. Fine, fine. It costs one lesser soul to initiate a transfer. Any transfer. So, you can use those to secure your hard-earned souls, don¡¯t you worry. And yes, the first time you do a transfer, we¡¯ll issue you a balance card. Just tap it against the card of another Abyss associate when making a purchase. And no, you can¡¯t be coerced into making a transfer that way. Don¡¯t worry about the mechanics, just know that it¡¯s impossible.¡±


    ¡°So, perfect cash security in exchange for a fee, huh?¡± I mused, wondering at the implications.


    The smile was back on the woman¡¯s face. ¡°Yep. Though I¡¯ll warn you now, any souls you want to absorb for growth, or for skills and knowledge and such, you¡¯ll need to keep on you. Once you transfer them, they¡¯re just currency. Transferring them out of your vault is much more expensive and frankly not worth it.¡±


    My heart thumped in my chest at the implications. I suddenly had so many more questions.


    ¡°Oh boy,¡± she sighed. Clearly, I hadn¡¯t been able to conceal my reaction. ¡°You¡¯re one needy customer. This is going to take a while, isn¡¯t it?¡±

 Chapter 11: Beyond Human

    As it turned out, yes, I was a needy customer.


    I didn¡¯t feel bad about it though. It wasn¡¯t even remotely fair that we were just thrown into battle to sink or swim. It was even less fair that no one bothered to tell us how to take advantage of our rewards afterward. So, without shame, I unloaded all my questions onto the bank teller.


    In any case, she seemed perfectly content to play ball.


    ¡°So, let me summarize.¡± I was starting to realize how much better demon bureaucracy was. The demon explained everything several times and still hadn¡¯t shooed me away yet. ¡°You¡¯re telling me these Absorption Stations will just let me steal a skill or knowledge base from a soul in my possession? And that I¡¯ll perfectly inherit it all, just like that?¡±


    I sounded eager, and I didn¡¯t care.


    I could have done so much more if I had the right set of skills. I could have avoided taking wounds. I could have racked up many more souls. I could have¡­ well, okay, I couldn¡¯t have gone up against one of the elite champion defenders to claim their souls, but there were still plenty of other opportunities I missed.


    Besides, if the purple-skinned demon with gorgeous golden eyes was right, this convenience didn¡¯t only apply to physical skills like brawling or swordsmanship. This also applied to things like mana manipulation, knowledge of mana training, or even mastery over specific spells.


    All I had to do was kill a mage and find a station, and I could be slinging fireballs around!


    ¡°Yes, yes, I¡¯ve told you that already, darling. Several times. Though you need to pay in souls to fuel the process. It¡¯s not exactly free. Of course, at the station, you can scan the souls in your possession to find out what skills they possess, with no fees attached. And remember you¡¯ll need to save some souls to fuel your growth.¡±


    There was that too. Such a funny way of referring to such a momentous thing. Growth.


    Apparently, what they had done to us during our initiation was called ¡®planting the seed of the Abyss¡¯ within our souls. I was still a human. We all were. But now we each contained a bit of transformative potential, a tiny sliver of what makes a demon a demon. If I fed it, the seed would gradually ¡®elevate¡¯ my race.


    In other words, so long as I kept sacrificing souls at the station, I could strip away my humanity and convert myself into a true demon. There was no guarantee about what level of demonic strength I would start off at, but the demonic teller¡¯s implication was obvious: anything was better than being human.


    Honestly, I couldn¡¯t disagree. I noticed the looks other demons were shooting me. Their expressions ranged from utter disdain to the feelings usually reserved for one¡¯s dinner. They clearly thought of me as a lesser creature, and on paper, they were probably correct.


    According to the schooling Hayden had received, demons were literally ¡®higher order¡¯ beings than base mortals. They were basically made of mana. Their bodies could take incredible amounts of punishment without faltering. And their minds could easily withstand the kind of magical research that would drive humans insane.


    And, oh yes, they were virtually immortal.


    To kill a demon, you would have to kill them on the mortal plane, then hunt them down in the Abyss and kill them there too. The Abyss, or Hell as everyone besides demons called it, is the source and home of all demon kind. Demons were even tougher in the Abyss than on the mortal plane. They were faster, and stronger, and more magically charged. They were just more, in every possible way.


    So even if a human managed to kill a demon on the mortal plane, they had almost zero chance of hunting that demon down and achieving another victory on demonic home turf. Because of this, most true demon deaths were caused by¡­ other demons.


    I took a deep breath, fighting the urge to charge over to the nearest station and throw all my souls in the name of growth. Growth meant demonic power. It meant having actual, legal rights in hell. It meant making myself a mighty immortal nuisance.


    That was a remarkably tempting prospect.


    But at the moment, I needed to move on.


    ¡°Thank you for all the advice. Really, I mean it.¡± I injected as much sincerity as I could into the words, earning myself a coy giggle.


    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t mention it, cutie. If you want to pay me back, hit me up when I¡¯m done with my shift here.¡± She batted her eyelashes rather aggressively. ¡°Now, what would you like to do with your money?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d like to pay the invasion fee. Only that, for now.¡± Digging into my bag, I hurriedly fished out the smallest ten souls I could find.


    They all came from humans, so they were all, at a minimum, standard souls. From what she had told me, I would need to hunt down an animal or something similar to get a lesser soul, and even then, the creature would have to be incapable of wielding mana to be classified at such a low class.


    Really, my chat with the demoness was enlightening.


    And also considerably gross.


    ¡°Well, if you¡¯re sure. Do keep my offer in mind,¡± the demon flirted.


    I kept the smile on my face, paid off the fees I¡¯d accrued for the ¡®honor¡¯ of getting shoved into a strange world to die, and tried not to sprint out of the bank.


    Out of all of my original memories, I had kept one about my appearance. Before my original body kicked the bucket, I was a healthy man in his late twenties. And average on a good day. But I wasn¡¯t in my original body. And the demoness¡¯ words about my appearance dredged up some truly disquieting memories.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Hayden Hall, on the other hand, was a lean and tall young man, clocking in at an almost unnatural six feet and five inches. His roguishly handsome features paired extremely well with his baby blue eyes and short, velvety brown hair. He also looked like he was in his early twenties, but that was only thanks to whatever magical nonsense the demons used to make their soldiers mature faster.


    Thanks to my newly awakened memories, I knew Hayden Hall was barely past the tender age of sixteen.


    I shuddered when I thought about the predatory look in the demoness¡¯ eyes, then shuddered again thinking about the likely age of the fellow soldiers I¡¯d killed.


    Then again, how did that change anything? Did it really make any difference in what I had done, or how I felt about it? Murder was murder, whether the people losing their lives were a few years older or a few years younger.


    I tried to focus on walking and kept my mind as clear as I could manage. Thanks to detailed directions from the bank teller, I reached my destination in a matter of minutes.


    I hated it on sight.


    The Absorption Station was a perfect circle of churned up soil, seemingly just plopped down in the middle of the city. At the center of the circle stood a single operating chair. I didn¡¯t need a sign to identify it as such. Tentacles swayed freely around the chair, each tipped by pliers, scalpels, strange spoons like ice cream scoops, and a host of other, more ominous implements.


    I couldn¡¯t see anyone within the circle, but that didn¡¯t mean the station wasn¡¯t in use. As I watched, a soldier crossed into the circle¡¯s perimeter and vanished from sight.


    The demoness had assured me that the process of getting augmented by the Absorption Station was extremely private. Not even a commander could barge in while I was in the middle of it. This was comforting, but did nothing to assuage my concerns over the operation itself.


    Still, I had to do this.


    With one final deep breath, I stepped inside the circle, taking the last step that separated me from my future accomplishments.


    The world around me was ripped apart, flipped on its head, and then reassembled all wrong. The perfect circle of the Absorption Station was still the same, but looking trying to look outside it revealed only a kaleidoscope of disturbing sights and colors that my mind could not process beyond one ever-shifting splotch.


    Once again, I almost lost my most recent meal.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 99.9533%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 98.3456%">


    Hayden Hall


    Ascension progress: 1%


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    The words popped up in my vision. Suddenly, I was acutely aware of the ¡®seed¡¯ inside me, the ball of power the demonic recruiter had shoved into the body of Hayden Hall just before I woke up in that body. The seed¡¯s mere presence had made subtle alterations to my being, but it was nowhere near enough to make me part of the demonic species.


    Then and there, I realized that if I wanted to progress further down this path, I needed to pay the right price to bolster my advancement.


    Feeling more than a little curious, I pulled out a soul from my bag.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 99.9533%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 98.3456%">


    Geoffrey


    Known Skills:


    Swordsmanship, shield mastery, cooking, cleaning, husbandry, sexual prowess


    Knowledge Base:


    Berlis, Kingdom of Beralion, Fortress City 12¡­


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    The knowledge section went on and on, listing every useful information group Geoffrey had absorbed during his life. By focusing on each entry, I found I could roughly gauge his proficiency in every skill. He was a decent shield user, a middling swordsman, and as a lover, well¡­ the less said on that subject, the better. His wife had left him, if the knowledge group ¡®Local Law (Divorce Proceedings): Beralion¡¯ was any hint.


    And then I came along and killed him.


    I winced a little at the sharp reminder. The only consolation was that I was pretty miserable myself, getting thrown into a war immediately after rising from the dead. Though I did get to rise from the dead in the first place.


    ¡°Okay, well, I¡¯ve got about 148 souls. How hard could it be to find a useful skill or two to pick up?¡± I muttered, preparing myself for a slog.


    As it turned out, finding worthwhile skills was¡­ difficult. I didn¡¯t mean to put myself down or anything, but all my victims had been people unskilled enough to be slain by me, a chump with zero previous fighting experience.


    Sure, I had dregs of Hayden¡¯s training left, and his instincts had served me wonderfully. But I must have lost most of his memories related to actual combat with a sword. That was the only explanation for my unimpressive abilities. After all, Hayden Hall was the top prospective recruit for the armies of hell. Whatever skill I had, it was nowhere near star-pupil levels.


    This drove me to aim a little higher when searching for suitable souls to absorb. I had plenty of souls that would give me a respectable sword skill, but that was exactly the problem.


    They were proficient. Competent. Nothing more.


    I wanted actual skills that I could be proud of. Something to give me an edge in the heat of future battles because it didn¡¯t seem like I would be able to avoid combat for very long. Not if I wanted to advance and eventually grasp some safety for myself.


    So my search continued, one soul after another.


    After what felt like hours, I finally picked out a grand total of two souls, each with one promising skill to absorb.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 99.9533%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 98.3456%">


    Mana Manipulation: Body Strengthening (Basic).


    Swordsmanship: Dual Style (Greater).


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Both names were kind of deceptive.


    I wasn¡¯t sure how they could call any level of Body Strengthening as basic. The sheer level of ability required to pull the technique off was entirely beyond me. From the technique¡¯s description, I would need to spin up mana throughout my entire body, and then weave it into my muscles without overwhelming them. If I didn¡¯t use enough power, the technique would tire me out faster without any notable benefits. If I used too much, I stood a real risk of shredding my own body. That meant training in the technique was a painful and arduous process if I wanted to progress quickly, or an excruciatingly slow one if I wanted to stay safe.


    Much better to bypass all that work and just absorb this soul¡¯s skill.


    The Swordsmanship: Dual Style, on the other hand, didn¡¯t really live up to its title. It wasn¡¯t some heaven-sent, earth-rending technique that would let me wield two swords and sweep away all opposition.


    The practice of the style began by forcing the user to develop ambidexterity. The training was a grueling thing, and only made practical by the fact that subtle mana use could speed the process along. After getting over that initial massive hurdle, the user would be able to switch their main sword from hand to hand freely, while also wielding a support weapon like a dagger. At least the greater tag gave me some hope, since it was one of the few skills above the basic level.


    I chose this skill mainly because the soul seemed to have mastered it. And a nice added benefit was the prevention of any future disasters like the defenders in the tower situation. I would never have to be stuck, unable to wield my weapon properly, just because someone had designed their architecture to hinder right handed people!


    I knew this was taking things a bit too far, and that the example was definitely niche. Maybe paranoia was beginning to put down roots in my mind. It didn¡¯t alter my choice.


    Souls selected, I had only one final barrier to overcome: actually forcing myself to sit down in the torture chair.


    I looked at the weaving tendrils of sinew-like material and fought the urge to curse.


    I lost.

 Chapter 12: The Sword

    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 99.9549%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 98.3999%">Submit soul crystal for skill absorption, then select your desired skill. You will be notified about the number of souls required to fuel the process.</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    My chat with the ¡®nice¡¯ demon bureaucrat had prepared me to expect this demand of payment, but I still sighed at the message that popped up when I approached the chair.


    I was also increasingly aware of just how valuable these soul crystals were, especially now that I had found one I wanted to absorb. Though a minor mistake or jostle probably wouldn¡¯t damage the soul, I handled both of them with extreme care.


    I decided to start with the mana skill. Slotting the crystal into the back of the chair, I made my selection on the screen that popped up. Was I just imagining the screens? Maybe the station was somehow beaming the data directly into my head, but I couldn¡¯t say for certain.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 99.9549%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 98.3999%">Skill belongs to a basic rank soul. Required payment: ten souls of the basic rank.</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    I grimaced, but I still fed the payment souls into an opening that appeared right under the soul slot.


    As I laid back on the surgical chair, I somehow managed to convince myself things wouldn¡¯t be so bad. After all, the surface was nicely padded and unusually comfortable. Even the armrests conformed around my limbs like cushion clouds.


    Then those clouds surged up and swallowed my arms, while bands of soft material rose up and encased my legs as well. That was a bad sign.


    The damn thing purred under me as the sinew tentacles multiplied to overwhelming numbers, and I knew my next few minutes would be nothing but pain.


    I was wrong.


    The torment was far beyond pain.


    Weird tentacles came down by the dozens and stabbed right into my chest, phasing through without resistance. That wasn¡¯t so bad. Then the tendrils started to pull, and I screamed at the very top of my lungs as a white substance was dragged out of my body.


    I knew immediately what it was: my soul.


    It silhouetted the form of my new body almost perfectly, but there were glaring incongruities, as if my soul had been shredded and put back together with pieces that didn¡¯t fit. Half my right leg was shorter and far less muscular than it should have been. The right side of my chest just didn¡¯t fit the proportions on the left. My fingers didn¡¯t match each other in length, and there was a very odd thing going on with my spine.


    But the worst offender was my soul¡¯s face. It looked melted and fractured, but underneath all that mess, I could recognize features that used to belong to me. Features I wasn¡¯t forced to share with Hayden.


    Tears sprang to my eyes as some of my memories cleared. I immediately reached for them, eager to regain even a fraction more of the person I used to be.


    Then the rest of the station¡¯s tools came into play, cutting off my attempts.


    Surrounding my soul¡¯s illusory body, they stabbed, slashed, pried open and generally wrecked havoc. And the sensations¡­ those went far beyond anything that could be described as agony, or even described with words at all.


    I had never realized before that the experience of physical pain is inherently limited by the body¡¯s abilities. You can¡¯t feel pain beyond what your body is capable of transmitting to you.


    The soul is a different story. The pain of someone treating my soul like a pincushion was fundamental. It was completely unfettered by any protective limits of my physical life form. Though different than having my essence slurped on by some imaginary being, this was just as bad.


    A demon probably would have described it as ¡®sublime.¡¯


    I described it as ¡®oh fuck please let it stop.¡¯


    Really, past the first few moments, I couldn¡¯t even perceive the world around me. My existence was unholy torment and despair. I was barely conscious of the gibberish I was spouting, begging for it all to end.


    When the tools of the station backed off and my soul was released to collapse back into my body, all I could do for a long time was twitch around in the chair. Still, when I finally managed to scrape together enough consciousness to know what was happening, it was almost worth it.


    Almost.


    Mana Manipulation: Body Strengthening (Basic) came with a flood of memories. Months, then years of knowledge unfolded in my mind like a tapestry, or one of those sped up training montages.


    Thanks to the station, I absorbed every last memory with perfect clarity.


    It was like they were seared into my very being, locked in so I could never forget them. After all that torment required to steal a skill from an absorbed soul, at least I had the comfort of knowing I wouldd never be able to forget a single detail.


    More interestingly, I now knew more about mana in general, even more than I had gotten from my Hayden-memories. The station clearly didn¡¯t skimped, granting me everything within the absorbed soul that was even tangentially related to the skill, along with the instincts required to properly use it.


    And it wasn¡¯t just mental knowledge. I could feel my body squirming as it caught up to my new abilities, synapses and muscles all changing to account for over a decade of training I just yoinked out of someone else¡¯s soul.This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    ¡°Incredible.¡± My voice sounded breathy and full of wonder.


    Seconds before, I had been determined never to sit down in this chair again. Now, I almost couldn¡¯t wait for the next time.


    It also helped that the remnant twinges of pain were quickly fading. The memory of those sensations was so far beyond what I should have experienced that my mind was destroying them. Already, I couldn¡¯t put my finger on why exactly the chair hurt so much.


    Of course, the theory behind it all didn¡¯t matter to me much. Results did. So, with some lingering reluctance, I clambered up, slotted in the next soul crystal, and paid another ten souls.


    Interestingly, while the process was still pure agony, it didn¡¯t hurt quite as badly this time. Something in my soul was already starting to shift and adapt to my circumstances. I wasn¡¯t sure, but when I looked within myself after the surgery, I thought I saw the red ball inside my chest extending tiny wisps of itself into the surrounding soul-flesh.


    Maybe the seed of the Abyss was taking root.


    I had no way to confirm this theory, especially since the counter for my ¡®ascension¡¯ still sat stubbornly at one percent. But that didn¡¯t matter as much to me at the moment. Far more intriguing were the knowledge and instincts I now possessed. My hand was practically itching to grasp a sword.


    As I slipped out of the station¡¯s chair for the second time, I gave into the urge.


    I pulled out my sword in one smooth motion, took a stance I hadn¡¯t practiced countless times before, and then launched into a sword dance. Every time I sliced, my sword made a whistling sound as it cut through air. I frowned. The imperfections in the blade were throwing me off, causing the normally soundless motions to announce my presence to the world.


    Moving with a will of its own, my other hand snatched my dagger from my belt, seamlessly weaving it into the strikes I was practicing.


    That¡¯s more like it.


    My limbs surged with power, exulting with the thrill of swordplay. A solid hour later, I finally brought the practice session to a stop.


    Good thing I managed to get in some practice. It would have annoyed me terribly to miss my daily session. After all, the only way to improve was to¡­


    My thoughts cut off abruptly, and I froze mid-motion. After finishing the dance, I instinctively reached for my pack to withdraw an oiled cloth and do some maintenance. But I didn¡¯t have one ¡ª I never had one.


    I was also definitely not obsessed with sword training.


    ¡°What¡¯s happening to me?¡±


    Suddenly sick, I went to slam my sword back into its sheath, then froze yet again. I was holding the sword firmly in my left hand, and it felt like the most natural thing in the world. More natural than holding it in my right.


    I knew the Dual Style (Greater) skill would grant me the ability to have both hands equally adept at wielding a sword. But at some point during the surgery, my dominant hand had switched from right to left, despite the fact that both Hayden and I were right-handed.


    The surgery is affecting me more than I thought.


    The realization was sobering.


    How deep did the changes go? Would I have a niggling feeling in the back of my mind every day if I refused to do sword practice? Had my other likes and dislikes shifted? How would I know unless I overanalyzed everything I did, every second of the day?


    More importantly, if that was the result of one controlled surgery meant to transfer a single skill, how much had I changed already through my possession of Hayden? Was I even remotely the same person I used to be before my apparent death?


    The questions were overwhelming. I could feel my composure cracking right then and there. I tried to set all thought aside, to just focus on the present. My eyes fell on the sword I still held in front of my face. I examined it thoroughly, as if it held the secrets to all my woes.


    Surprisingly, something did happen.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 99.9549%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 98.3999%">


    Legacy of Lethaniel: Demonic Soul Blade


    Tier: Demonic Trash (A mortal¡¯s treasure)


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    That name, Lethaniel, sent a surge of anguish rocking through my being. Hayden didn¡¯t exactly have a lot of memories of his family. He had none, in fact. What he did have was access to his records, and the names of his parents.


    Lethaniel Hall was the mother he never got to meet, and now I was holding the sword she passed down to him.


    I didn¡¯t really give the sword much thought when I ¡®inherited¡¯ it. If anything, it was a bit of a disappointment until I realized that it could actually pass for a decent weapon. Now, though? Now, the importance of the blade skyrocketed by several degrees, and I had an answer to at least one of my question.


    I had more of Hayden inside of me than I cared to admit.


    Thankfully, the station wasn¡¯t done with its revelations.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 99.9549%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 98.3999%">Would you like to nurture the blade through sacrifice?</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    It didn¡¯t take a genius to figure out what ¡®sacrifice¡¯ meant. Everything in the station cost souls, from strengthening myself to learning new skills. The only question was how expensive the process would be.


    ¡°Yes.¡± I voiced the answer aloud.


    I watched as an odd pedestal emerged from the ground. It contained a groove perfect for the size and shape of my sword. Glowing lines stretched from the groove to a slot clearly meant for a soul crystal.


    Reverently, and with more than a little hesitation, I laid the sword in its intended place, then removed my bag from my waist.


    I had a grand total of 126 souls left. I could use those souls to further my ascension, as currency to purchase equipment, or as a rainy day fund. In spite of these many other possible uses, both parts of what now made up myself wanted to see the sword improved.


    After all, if it was so useful already, what might it grow into?


    One by one, I slotted souls into the receptacle. One by one, they dissolved into the glowing lines and then were absorbed into the blade. Slowly, the blade showed signs of repair. Some of its most obvious cracks grew a little smaller. Its edges grew a little less chipped.


    Each soul I submitted had an effect on the sword. The problem was, all the effects were miniscule. I¡¯d have to commit most if not all my remaining souls just to make a real difference.


    I kept going.


    Part of my reasoning was greed. Part of it was purely sentimental. And as the process went on, the good old sunk-cost fallacy reared its ugly head as well.


    Thankfully, I didn¡¯t have to walk away disappointed. When the hundredth basic soul was inserted into the slot and consumed, a crimson glow erupted from the blade. The worst of the cracks sealed over, and the edges of the blade were soon chip-free, even if they still looked a little dull.


    The station, too, confirmed the change.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 99.9549%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 98.3999%">


    Legacy of Lethaniel: Demonic Soul Blade


    Tier: Damaged Demonic Weapon


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    True, the ¡®damaged¡¯ part was still obvious. The sword still had some cracks sweeping from the base of the blade to its tip. But the weapon¡¯s shape and decorations were now more visible. For the first time, I realized there was a gem embedded in the handle. It was dull and cracked, but perfectly encased in the metal, and large enough to show from both sides of the hilt.


    Beyond appearance, the sword was definitely more useful. This time, when I fell into my new sword stance and swung, the blade cut silently through the air.


    A satisfied smile spread across my face.


    I had walked into the station with a subpar weapon and practically no notable skills.


    I now walked away much, much deadlier.

 Chapter 13: Demonic Culture

    I felt both relief and disappointment after stumbling out of the Absorption Station. Since I had changed so massively while hidden away, I half-expected the world outside to be different too.


    Nothing could be further from the truth. The demonic takeover buildings were still there, each one unique in shape and purpose. The signs still translated themselves in my brain. Demons and humans strolled past on either side, oblivious to my new skills and enhanced soul.


    In fact, as I walked the streets of the conquered city, I quickly realized that far less time had passed than I originally thought. It wasn¡¯t as exaggerated as hours inside translating to mere minutes outside, but the ratio was still significant. I wasted hours in the Absorption Station. But by my best estimate using the position of the sun, only a single hour had passed outside. Or a whole day had gone by, but that didn¡¯t seem likely.


    This did, however, leave me in a bit of a pickle. I was a newly recruited soldier in a demonic army, stuck in a body that wasn¡¯t originally mine, with only a marginal understanding of my new world.


    In other words, I had no damn clue what to do with myself.


    Naberius¡¯s instructions were to entertain ourselves and rest for a short while, but I didn¡¯t even know where to find a place a sleep. I suppose I could have asked someone, but I was more than a little reluctant to do so.


    After all, I was surrounded by demons who had just conquered a human city. Admitting my ignorance would be a sign of weakness I could not afford. Same with the few human soldiers I saw mingling in the demonic crowd.


    My time in the Absorption Station had also left me with a pathetic twenty-six soul budget, which was unlikely to go far in any of the shops. Still, for lack of a better option, I decided to do some browsing and keep an eye out for somewhere to sleep.


    The obviously magical shops were designed to catch people¡¯s eye, including mine. I whiled away a decent bit of time just checking out their merchandise, which was almost entirely war-related.


    One shop displayed a glowing sword that screamed danger, both literally and metaphorically. I got a headache just looking at the cyan runes that covered the blade. While I was staring wistfully at the weapon, a customer actually inquired about it. The shopkeeper picked up the sword and nicked his finger on the blade¡¯s tip. Fat drops of blood exploded out of the small wound, and the runes drank greedily, taking on a hungry red glow.


    The asking price was apparently too much because the demon walked out of the shop looking downtrodden. The shopkeeper looked clearly annoyed to have wasted his blood and time.


    I watched dozens of similar interactions happen, filling me with a strange sense of disquiet. Not because the demons were doing something unnatural or intimidating. Far from it. They were acting like regular, everyday people going about their regular, everyday lives.


    That¡¯s what threw me off.


    These weren¡¯t the shadowy figures that had haunted Hayden¡¯s life, laughing and jeering at him. These were normal, upright citizens. They just happened to be a little bloodthirsty by nature, and fed primarily on souls.


    I realized the weight of that ¡®primarily¡¯ when I entered a different section of the rearranged city and came across a host of different food stands. Preciously few demons were in this area, except as stall owners. My stomach chose that moment to remind me I hadn¡¯t eaten in quite a while. I held out for as long as I could, fueled by my concerns over the quality and origin of the food around me.


    Eventually, I caved.


    I chose to approach a demon selling aromatic skewers of meat, which his sign proudly proclaimed to be ¡®chicken.¡¯ Was it a demonic kind of chicken? Or just the mundane animal meat I was familiar with? Or was ¡®chicken¡¯ demon-code for ¡®human meat?¡¯


    Frankly, with my mouth watering and stomach rumbling, I no longer cared.


    The sign said a single skewer cost one lesser soul. I asked for five and turned over a basic soul, making sure to apologize politely for not having change.


    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry, we get plenty of customers like you immediately after a battle. This is your first one, right? I hear they used this city to test out the newest recruits,¡± the stall owner replied while handing back five lesser souls.


    ¡°Um, yeah. That¡¯s me. Fresh recruit. I think I did relatively well, though.¡± I was saying more than I needed to, and I knew it. Maybe the smell of food was getting to me. Accepting the change, I stuck around to watch the demon make my skewers on the spot. The meat did look like chicken, and the ease with which he handled the process revealed long years of experience in the art of skewers. Then, the demon found another lesser soul and popped it into his stove, which sent the flames roaring upwards.


    ¡°Well, you made it, so you definitely did something right! Now, some people like to look down on humans, especially those who are new recruits. But ignore them, okay? Hell, you know what?¡± The stall owner motioned me closer like he was sharing some major secret, and I reluctantly leaned in. ¡°My grandfather was a human.¡±


    He laughed at my startled expression, and I rushed to explain myself. ¡°I didn''t realize. I would have never known with how¡­ um¡­ nice your horns are!¡±


    I wasn¡¯t exactly fibbing. The man did have large horns that jutted forward and then swept back in a rather classic demon look. But I also had absolutely no idea what ¡®nice horns¡¯ looked like. What if he took it as an insult?


    Thankfully, nice was the right thing to say.


    ¡°Why thank you!¡± The demon beamed at me happily. ¡°Really, it¡¯s no big deal. If you just keep doing your best and kill those pesky locals, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll manage to ascend in no time. Then you can really start climbing the ranks.¡±


    Ah, there it is.You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    The casual mention of rampant murder, brought up in the same way one would talk about going to the office. I felt my mind reeling again. This friendly shopkeeper, eager to offer me encouragement and welcome, would have been equally thrilled to eviscerate me if I was a local.


    I managed to keep my voice calm. ¡°I¡¯m going to do my very best.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t a lie. I was rushing to leave behind my current status, for so many different reasons. After all, at the moment, I was no better than an intern who could be ¡®fired¡¯ at any time. Except in my case, being ¡®fired¡¯ probably meant my soul would be devoured, or torn apart to fuel some mundane part of demonic life. Like powering a stove.


    ¡°That¡¯s the spirit! Do your best. Here, have a little extra.¡± The demon shoved one more skewer at me with a wink. ¡°You¡¯re still young and need all the food you can get.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, really.¡±


    Only then did I realize I was just awkwardly holding the skewers. So, giving in to the earnest eyes of the stall owner and my own hunger, I took a bite.


    I had to fight down the urge to moan.


    The skewers were perfect. The meat was so tender that it fell apart in my mouth, releasing just the right amount of warm juice. My taste buds started dancing at the perfect blend of spices and the comforting flavor of chicken. The herbs and veggies chosen as accompaniment were unfamiliar, but they were crisp, well cooked, and had absorbed just enough of the flavor to be that extra bit tastier.


    Frankly, it was the most delicious bite of food I had ever put in my mouth. Maybe it was because I was starving. Maybe the demon really was the absolute paragon of skewer-cooks. I didn¡¯t care. I didn¡¯t even care if he was, in fact, using soul-powered fire to make the skewers.


    ¡°Jeez, that¡¯s good,¡± I mumbled between bites. ¡°You¡¯re the best damn cook I¡¯ve ever met. I¡¯m not even kidding. This is like all the flavors in the right place at the right time. ¡±


    My tongue was getting away from me a bit. I needed to be more careful. I was talking to a demon. He could vaporize me if I said a single wrong word. Instead, he just let me ramble, grinning at me like I had made his day.


    ¡°Sorry about that,¡± I finally murmured when I was done, cheeks blushing furiously and hands fidgeting with the empty skewers.


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s fine. Not every day I see someone enjoy my cooking so much. I mean, I¡¯ve only been at it for about four hundred years! I can hardly compare to some of the real chefs out there. Still, and I don¡¯t mean to hurry you along kid, but maybe you should think about going to sleep? You¡¯ll probably have a rough day tomorrow.¡±


    That crashed my mood pretty dang well. It must have shown on my face because he gave me a questioning look.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t realize that we were shipping out tomorrow. I, um¡­¡± I felt ashamed, but this was probably the least dangerous informational opportunity I was going to get. I swallowed hard, then admitted, ¡°I¡¯m not really sure where to find a place to sleep, to be honest.¡±


    The man¡¯s face brightened, and a mischievous glint entered his eyes. ¡°Ahhh, right. You¡¯re pretty fresh, and this legion is known for being¡­ well, rough on recruits.¡± He looked at me closely, as if considering what he was about to say. ¡°You have the option of sleeping in the barracks, of course. I can even give you directions. But I wouldn¡¯t recommend it.¡±


    ¡°Any special reason why?¡±


    ¡°The safety and quality of barracks vary wildly by legion,¡± he explained. ¡°And, well, The Grand Duke of Torment isn¡¯t exactly big on good amenities for his soldiers. Nah, it¡¯s a much better idea to head for one of the inns. In fact, I recommend the Apple Infernal. They¡¯re a chain, but their security and service is top-notch. Just five basic souls per night too. I¡¯d head over soon if I were you.¡±


    The implication that it was time to leave was clear, and I nodded to show I understood. With a couple more words, I wrapped up my conversation with more effusive praise of the food, thanked the demon for all his help, and set off with directions to the inn.


    I had a lot to think about as I walked. My experience with the stall owner was a pleasant breath of fresh air in a long, grim day.


    It also confused the hell out of me.


    Demons weren¡¯t humans. That much was obvious from the start. The differences were biological, psychological, and fundamental.


    But could I really say I hated or even disliked the species as a whole?


    Earlier in the day, when all I had to go on were my interactions with the legion¡¯s demons, I would have said yes in a heartbeat. Now? Things were slowly getting murkier, and I wasn¡¯t a huge fan of that.


    The thought of this being some kind of long con by the stall owner demon entered my mind, and then left as soon as I found my destination. The Apple Infernal turned out to be a well-appointed five-story building that towered over most of its neighbors. The whole place had a classy feel to it, making me wonder if I would even be allowed inside in my attire.


    Of course, I then spotted an unmistakable ¡®legion¡¯ demon stroll inside, wearing armor that barely covered his private bits and carrying a mace slung over his shoulder.


    That helped me shed my hesitance fairly quickly.


    The inn¡¯s foyer was as elegant as the outside, complete with plush chairs and a vaulted ceiling painted in various grisly displays of murder, sex, and torment. My lips twitched at the dichotomy, but I kept my head down and headed for the reception desk.


    The legion demon I had just spotted was already there, talking to one of the two female receptionists. Both ladies were dressed in sharp navy-blue suits. Their skin was pink, and their horns were much smaller than most other demons. They also had long, sinuous tails, which wove back and forth hypnotically behind them at all times.


    The second receptionist was free and gave me a welcoming smile. I walked up to the counter. ¡°Excuse me? I¡¯m looking for a room for the night, if you still have space.¡±


    Unfortunately, before she could respond, the legion demon guest interjected. ¡°Ugh. Fresh recruit. Do you really allow scum like this to just walk in and demand service? They shouldn¡¯t be allowed in civilized establishments until they¡¯ve earned their place.¡±


    The disgust in his voice was apparent, but so was the sudden annoyance on the two receptionists¡¯ faces.


    ¡°Excuse me, dear customer,¡± one of them said, ¡°but it is our policy to service everyone who enters our fine establishment. If you find any of our other guests objectionable, you are free to leave and find accommodation elsewhere. I must, however, inform you that we will not be reimbursing you for any service you have already purchased. It¡¯s simply policy, I¡¯m sure you understand.¡±


    The woman¡¯s voice was sickly sweet, but her words were firm. I strongly suspected that her attitude was at least partly related to the rude demon¡¯s appearance. He looked filthier than I did, and I had spent the day fighting for my life and then undergoing soul surgery.


    ¡°You can¡¯t speak to me like that!¡± the legion demon blustered. ¡°I am ¡ª¡±


    The demon suddenly choked, his eyes bugging out as the receptionist made one careless motion in his direction. She repeated the move, and he clutched his throat. Then he glared at everyone, but particularly at me, before running out the door.


    ¡°I¡¯m terribly sorry for the delay, dear customer.¡± The receptionist I had approached smiled at me. ¡°Now, our standard service set is five basic souls per night. You would have access to a private room with a bathroom attachment, as well as a free breakfast and dinner. Lunch costs extra. But you can also use our amenities, like the gym, for free throughout the duration of your stay.¡±


    ¡°That sounds wonderful,¡± I said as I wondered how to repay the receptionists for what they just did. I settled on giving them a bit more information than necessary. ¡°I¡¯ll have to limit myself to a single night. I¡¯m pretty sure we¡¯ll be moving out tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m sorry to hear that.¡± The receptionist sounded anything but sorry as she took my souls and finished checking me in.


    On purpose, I walked away a bit slower, lingering within earshot for a few more moments. That was all it took to catch the receptionists gossiping about how glad they were that the ¡®annoying legion¡¯ would be gone soon. This confirmed a suspicion that had been growing in my mind all day. Somehow, thanks to my amazing luck, I had managed to land in what was probably the least-liked demonic legion in all of hell.


    Lucky me!

 Chapter 14: Designation

    My room was pure bliss. The demons referred to the establishment as an inn, but it beat the vast majority of hotels I remembered from my original life.


    The room was clean, cleverly appointed with everything I might have wanted, and had a wonderful view of the demonic city outside. The bathroom was the most spotless one I ever used in my entire existence, and it had all the modern amenities I was used to, including flawless plumbing.


    Well, it was spotless until I got my grubby hands on it. My clothing, and equipment were covered in blood and dirt, and I wasn¡¯t going to walk away until everything was as clean as I could make it.


    I got to see the real magic of the inn, however, when the hot water refused to run out. As with the meat skewer stall, I realized they were probably using the dice-form souls to fuel all these conveniences. Once again, I found it difficult to care. I was adapting to my new life surprisingly fast, especially after the life and death moments I had experienced.


    Once I was done with my gear and tried to clean up the mess I made, I took a luxurious shower. To feel the dirt, blood, and sweat slough off my body was a heavenly experience, like I finally understood what it meant to be reborn.


    The demons had outfitted the bathroom with a floor-to-ceiling mirror, so I also got a good, long look at my new body.


    To be perfectly honest, I looked good. My body was tall and muscular, and it definitely belonged to someone who had spent their entire life under a careful regime of exercise and diet. In other words, I looked nothing like my original self. I had spent my entire previous life ping-ponging between obesity and unhealthy thinness, depending on my mental and physical health at the time.


    My lips twisted in a bitter smile. It was true that this new physique came with a whole lot of violent strings attached. But I couldn¡¯t deny the pang of arrogance and avarice that went through me as I stared at the mirror.


    Hayden¡¯s body was mine now.


    On my way to bed, I spotted my dagger and somewhat-repaired sword, lying on a table with my other gear. A jolt of desire raced through my muscles, pushing me to snatch up the weapons and start practicing. I was honestly proud of myself when I quashed the urge with relative ease and collapsed into bed instead.


    Now that I was aware of the little ¡®gifts¡¯ the soul surgery had given me, it was easier to manage them. I was still reaching for things with my left hand first, but I could catch and correct myself mid-motion.


    I knew it shouldn¡¯t be a big deal. Who would care if I became left-handed? Still, giving in to the skill¡¯s side effects felt like losing a piece of me I would never get back. I wanted to hang onto each piece for as long as possible.


    Despite that troubling thought, I fell into slumber feeling warm, comfortable, and safe.


    Hours later, a jolt of pain ripped through my body, tearing me out of a dream where shadowy figures chased me relentlessly. One second I was beating them off, managing to avoid the clutch of their bony fingers ¡ª and then I was wide awake, writhing in my sheets as agony gripped every inch of me.


    I was vaguely aware of a horn blaring over the city, but I couldn¡¯t pay attention. I was a little preoccupied by the pain threatening to shatter my mind into a million pieces.


    Then, all at once, the agony fled. Its source became apparent as my awareness returned. The brand on my palm stung in a way that was hard to describe. When I reached out to rub it, a message popped up in my head. No clear phrases or even words, but I got the gist easily enough.


    Assemble in front of the city¡¯s inner keep in one hour.


    There was no ¡®or else¡¯ kind of threat attached to the message. Then again, the order had been conveyed through an intense, inescapable wave of pain. Every recipient knew exactly what the sender could do if we disobeyed.


    I dressed in a hurry.


    I had laid out my clothing to dry in the bathroom the night before. They were still slightly damp, but it wasn¡¯t like I had a closet full of options to choose from.


    A gear check was next in the checklist of things to do, and here I purposefully slowed down. Uncomfortably damp pants were one thing, but neglecting my sword or dagger in some small way could cost me in moments of danger. I strongly suspected this caution was mostly the result of my soul surgery escapades. For once, I didn¡¯t care.


    Having checked my gear, and resolving to purchase some weapon oil and proper maintenance tools when I had the chance, I rushed out of my room and down to the inn¡¯s foyer.


    ¡°Ah, dear customer.¡± The same receptionist from yesterday greeted me with a smile, then motioned towards a low table set up by the door. ¡°We were able to confirm that you and many of our other customers would be leaving us rather early. As such, we arranged for a breakfast that would be easy to eat on the go.¡±


    I thanked the two receptionists profusely, especially after walking up to the table. It was covered with bundles of food, carefully wrapped, and they assured me I could take a whole bundle for myself. Nice wrapping included. This was exceptional service.


    Breakfast in hand, I was on my way. The meal consisted of two whole loaves of bread, each stuffed chock-full of cold cuts, veggies, and cheese. I¡¯d never had a fancier or better sandwich. The bread was still warm, something that really helped me get moving.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    The Apple Infernal had earned itself a new loyal customer.


    I arrived at the destination of our summons with half an hour to spare. My speedy arrival was partly due to the fact that the inn was blessedly close to the city¡¯s heart.


    A much bigger factor was one of my newly absorbed skills.


    Body Strengthening (Basic) was everything I¡¯d hoped it would be, and more. Keeping the technique running at low intensity gave me a steady boost to every bodily function and significantly improved my endurance. Thanks to Hayden¡¯s natural talent for drawing in and manipulating mana, strengthened by whatever the demons did to us during induction, I could keep the technique working almost indefinitely during waking hours.


    Theoretically, it was possible to develop the technique to the point of being able to run it while asleep too. Something to work on later.


    My punctuality gave me plenty of time to inspect the demonic officials already gathered in the small plaza in front of the keep. I spotted Naberius, the commander, first. Casual eavesdropping told me his actual title was Grand General. That sounded like a title far too lofty for a man leading a bunch of new recruits into their first battle, but I simply filed the knowledge away and moved on.


    Under Naberius, I managed to identify five different lieutenants. They were a fascinating study in opposites.


    The loudest and most rambunctious of the lot was a short, purple-skinned demon with a petite build and horns that were so large, I wondered how he stayed upright. His weapon was a massive hammer. It was three times his own height and probably six times his weight, but he carried it easily on one shoulder.


    He was chatting happily with two demonesses, both of whom were green-skinned with deer-like horns. Something told me they were sisters, but then again, maybe I was being accidentally racist or something. I knew nothing about demonic subtypes. One of the two had a bow slung over her back, and the other sported a pair of daggers.


    The last two lieutenants only engaged with the others when spoken to. Even then, they were dismissive unless the speaker was Naberius himself.


    I soon observed, though, that they had wholly different reasons for this shared attitude.


    One, a golden demon in resplendent silver robes, just looked bored and sleepy. In fact, if I didn¡¯t know any better, he seemed about to pass out from utter exhaustion at any moment. Now, I didn¡¯t know much about demons, but I did know they didn¡¯t require traditional rest. That meant there was more going on with this golden demon than met the eye.


    The other demon, in many way the quintessential ¡®stereotype¡¯ for the species, was simply a dour and unpleasant individual. His red skin, massive horns, leathery wings, and cloven hooves went to complete the classic ¡®looming death machine¡¯ look. The massive buster sword he was carrying certainly didn¡¯t help.


    I tried to be subtle with my glances, but after the commander gave me a smile and one of the sisters sent me a saucy wink, I contented myself with staring at my shoes until the appointed time came.


    No one was foolish enough to be late. Even the last arrival got there about fifteen minutes before the time limit.


    ¡°We have no tardy recruits this time around,¡± the general mused as he stepped out in front of the group, sweeping his eyes over us. ¡°Good. The demonstration of what happens to insubordinate soldiers always gets so¡­ messy. As is, we can simply proceed.¡±


    I noticed instantly that both the dour red demon and one of the sisters looked downright disappointed that no disciplining was necessary.


    ¡°The reason you¡¯re here today is because I cannot keep you under my direct command. I have much greater obligations, I¡¯m sad to say. So, you will be joining one of the five illustrious sergeants you might have noticed already. They will be your direct superiors from now on, until you either advance or die. If you advance, you will be reallocated to more fitting leadership.¡±


    The demons behind him snickered ominously, but Naberius paid them no mind.


    Taking advantage of the pause, I glanced around through the corners of my eye. Plenty of my fellow soldiers were quick to perk up at the mention of potential promotions. I wanted to scoff. There was no way we would advance until after fully converting to demons, and that was a very long-term goal for scrubs like us. No, whoever we got assigned to, we¡¯d be stuck with them for a long time to come.


    Or, you know, for a very short time. Until our untimely demise.


    The general continued, ¡°Now, one of the legion scribes will step forward and start a roll call. When your name is called, you will be directed to the sergeant who will take charge of you and your training for the foreseeable future. I expect you to be polite and quiet as you make your way over to them. I want no fuss. You will get your orders from your sergeant afterward. Good luck, soldiers.¡±


    The ¡®you¡¯ll need it¡¯ implication was clear as Naberius strolled out of the plaza.


    A reedy demon in a frumpy outfit took his place. The scribe demon immediately started calling out names and directing the soldiers on where to go, but my eyes were on the five demons as they fanned out, leaving plenty of distance between each other.


    The short hellion and the sisters looked excited, or at least eager to get their new soldiers. The sleepy one was, well, sleepy. The red murder machine, however, was full-on glowering at the humans who were sent his way.


    Just not him. Just not him. Please not him. I repeated the words again and again in my head, even if I was already resigned to my horrible luck.


    Then, finally, the scribe announced, ¡°Hayden Hall, assigned to Sergeant Wilhelmina.¡±


    I walked over to the excitedly clapping demoness, shock coursing through my system. This was luck I didn¡¯t expect, enough that I wondered if perhaps lady luck was shining on me. She quickly directed me to the rows of soldiers already assigned to her. We were located right next to the grumpy demon¡¯s troops, so I got to watch them squirm as the sorting continued.


    When the process was finally complete, our hyperactive sergeant skipped off to convene with her sibling. I watched the neighboring commander approach his troops.


    ¡°Right, you sorry lot,¡± he growled. ¡°Because of the general¡¯s kindness, I¡¯m now stuck with you. Get ready to suffer because I will not tolerate such miserable troops under me. For the next month, you¡¯ll be lucky if you can walk back to the barracks after training. I¡¯ll personally make sure you¡¯ll be crawling there, until you¡¯re at least halfway decent cannon fodder!¡±


    He finished the words with a roar, clearly displeased. Still, for some reason, a part of me unclenched. Even the worst option didn¡¯t seem that bad anymore.


    Movement caught my eye, and I stood straighter. My own commander was back from her chat with her sister.


    ¡°Right! Well, isn¡¯t this exciting! I¡¯ve got so many little humans under my command,¡± the woman chirped. ¡°Oh, we simply must produce results! I have a bet going with my sister on who can cause more havoc! So, come along now. We need to fetch the rest of my troops, and then we have some locals to hunt down!¡±


    My body obeyed as she led us away, constantly upping the marching tempo. My mind, however, was caught in a spiral.


    Did I maybe, possibly, pray to avoid the wrong commander?

 Chapter 15: March of the Damned

    I was most definitely, and pretty thoroughly, screwed.


    The chirpy menace had seemed bright and kind, at first. The fa?ade held up until she forced us to run all the way back to where her troops were stationed because she ¡®refused to lose to her sister.¡¯


    Things only got worse from there.


    She swept into the barracks assigned to her troops and gave them all a loud and rude wake-up call. The fact that all the grizzled-looking demons under her command were doing their very best to kill her with their gaze didn¡¯t deter her.


    If anything, she thrived on their hatred.


    As soon as everyone was out of the barracks, she announced we were marching out right that instant. This was not well received. Complaints immediately erupted, and were immediately silenced as she casually drove her fist through the nearest protesting demon¡¯s face.


    Then she just stood there and smiled like a psychopath, obviously daring anyone else to speak up.


    The one who did was a harried demon with barely any meat on his bones, wearing a ridiculously large pair of glasses.


    ¡°My lady,¡± he began. She glared at him murderously, and he sighed. ¡°I mean, commander, I¡¯m afraid to say that we can¡¯t set off immediately. If we do, our regular troops might manage without their assigned provisions. However, our fresh recruits definitely will not survive. The general would take notice of that.¡±


    The man¡¯s voice was calm but soft. I had to hold back my disbelief when the unreasonable woman actually paused and pursed her lips to think. She started tapping her foot on the ground, sweeping her eyes back and forth over her silent troops.


    ¡°Fine!¡± she shouted at last, throwing her hands in the air. ¡°Be that way! Go get them their provisions, but I expect them to be ready to set out in two hours. That¡¯s all the time I¡¯m willing to waste. If anyone¡¯s not here at that point, I¡¯ll personally track you down and send you back to hell.¡±


    No one was in the mood to test her, and her apparent assistant quickly swept us away into a part of the city I hadn¡¯t explored before. He kept up a rapid but mostly realistic pace, leading us through a series of army gear shops to a huge warehouse run by the local quartermaster.


    The massive crimson quartermaster was quick to hand out our provisions, especially when the sergeant¡¯s assistant brought up our commander¡¯s name. Apparently, even red-skinned demons could go pale with fear. The quartermaster¡¯s skin turned an odd shade of washed-out pink.


    Unfortunately, that was the tail end of our luck. We were rushed back to our commander, who then cheerily proceeded to drive us out of the city and into the wilds of the world we¡¯d been unleashed upon.


    Three days. That¡¯s how long the insane demoness kept us marching without pause or break. Every physical need we had was to be handled during the march, with no exceptions or excuses.


    Apparently, no one had ever bothered to brief her on the frailty and peculiarities of human bodies. Then again, she likely thought these human-details were a non-issue, considering the differences between humans and demons.


    For example, demons don¡¯t need toilets. The digestive track of a demon is both many times more efficient than a human¡¯s and entirely mana-based. As such, it would be entirely impossible to provoke ¡®normal¡¯ bodily functions in demons, short of forcing non-mana-reactive materials down their throats.


    No such luck for humans. Basically, our lives were absolute hell for those three days.


    I was actually one of the lucky few. My mana technique eliminated a ton of the exhaustion and soreness typically associated with nonstop marching. Even then, I was bloated, bone-deep tired, and on the verge of passing out.


    Speaking of unconsciousness, the only reason the insane woman eventually called a halt was because so many of her human soldiers did pass out. The demons were starting to complain about having to carry them and the smell that began to clung to the human portion of the army.


    The break didn¡¯t end our suffering.


    The sergeant¡¯s assistant was imminently capable, and had made sure to weasel plenty of tents and sleeping bags from the quartermaster. However, because setting up a full camp was ¡®a waste of time,¡¯ we were ordered to simply set out the sleeping bags and be done with it.


    Even the demons grumbled at this. Superior physique didn¡¯t make cold, hard ground any more comfortable.


    Still, when we started taking sleeping breaks every two days and short breaks twice daily, it was an immense relief for everyone, infernals and mortals alike.


    There was also an odd sense of camaraderie forming between our two sides. Sure, the demons were immortal, higher-tier life forms with actual control over their lives. But at the end of the day, we were all stuck under the heel of a tyrannical lunatic. The minor physical differences just didn¡¯t seem to matter as much anymore.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    Slowly at first, then with increasing regularity, I saw demons chatting with humans. Some even seemed to be having a decent time. I wouldn¡¯t say outright friendships were forming, but it was definitely a solid step in the right direction.


    It was eavesdropping on these chats that finally clued me into some truths about the invasion.


    Apparently, as far as worlds go, Berlis was considered weak. It wasn¡¯t even a proper planet, just a ¡®plane¡¯ world with actual edges and a low ceiling of power. Granted, ¡®low¡¯ for demonic sensibilities meant something entirely different to humans like me, but it was still indicative of the world¡¯s value.


    The general consensus was that Berlis wouldn¡¯t be subjugated, but instead, the demons kept using the word, ¡®devoured.¡¯ What that actually meant was a mystery to me.


    I also found out that we were currently on the very outskirts of the Beralion Kingdom, where locals had tried to form a containment zone for the incoming demonic invasion. Beralion was the largest and most influential of the mortal nations, and a definitive leader of the local resistance. They had set up a massive barrier anchored to fortress cities, which meant those cities had to be taken down before the invasion could spread into the surrounding kingdoms.


    Conquering the fortress city we just left meant the barrier was now falling.


    While this was all fascinating, the final tidbit of information was what I valued most: the goal of our little outing.


    We were raiders.


    Our goal was to pass through the containment zone, a stretch of empty and relatively barren land, and reach the human settlements beyond. From there, we were allowed to butcher, pillage, and do whatever else we liked to our hearts¡¯ content, so long as we actively contributed to the weakening of the locals.


    For our insane commander, that meant reaping as many human souls as we could manage, and destroying as many settlements as we could get to. If things went according to her plan, we would even reach some of the Beralion kingdom¡¯s inner cities before her competitors could.


    When we finally spotted our first local village after days of marching, I still didn¡¯t know how I felt about this mission.


    Somehow, even after all that I had personally done, I still had it in my head that I would be facing off against enemy combatants. I expected soldiers with training, skill, and equipment of sufficient quality to challenge me.


    Those beliefs evaporated into thin air when the locals caught sight of us, and the entire settlement dissolved into panic.


    ¡°This is it!¡± Our commander¡¯s voice eagerly cut through the air. ¡°Our first souls! If you let even a single one of them escape, I¡¯ll tear your intestines out and make you march while you wear them as a scarf! And if you somehow die at the hand of these pathetic things, I¡¯ll track you down in the Abyss and torture you to insanity! Now, ATTACK!¡±


    There was no compulsion driving me onwards this time, but I broke into a sprint nonetheless. I was one of the fastest humans around, and with the casual pace the demons set, I could easily keep up with the front lines.


    That meant I had a great view of the villagers as terror and resignation dawned on their faces.


    I got to watch as mothers clung to their children, some dragging them behind useless doors. Others tried for a desperate sprint away from the incoming madness. A few able fighters, men and women alike, massed in front of the village, determined to slow us down.


    They were only delivering themselves to the slaughter.


    Feeling numb, I pushed more mana into my legs and rocketed forward so I could bury my sword inside a man¡¯s chest. I spun away from the thrust of a shabby spear, then severed both its shaft and the neck of its wielder with a single slice.


    The tide of demons washed over the remaining ¡®defenders,¡¯ and then we were among the houses.


    Demons eagerly broke off to dive inside certain homes. The result was always a chorus of horrible screams. Somehow, the demons were unerring in their search for hidden locals, and I realized they were relying on more than conventional senses. It was likely some form of mana- or soul-sight.


    Either of those things would be highly beneficial for me to develop.


    Those were the exact thoughts in my head as I skewered a running woman from behind. It wasn¡¯t that I was becoming a sadist. The opposite, in fact. I tried to flood my mind with inane ramblings to spare me from understanding the horror of my actions.


    It really didn¡¯t help.


    I was all too aware of the laughter, of the crazed gloating, of the delighted expressions on the faces of my fellow ¡®human¡¯ soldiers as we slaughtered our own kind.


    Could we even be considered human anymore, with the literal fires of hell burning within our souls and hellish things we were doing? Judging by the expressions on the locals¡¯ faces, the answer was probably no.


    There were some five hundred souls living in that village when we arrived. By the time the last home was set aflame and the final life was snuffed out, I was responsible for the death of eleven people.


    Eleven souls.


    The equivalent of one hundred and ten skewers, or two nights spent in a fancy inn. The cold hard value of claiming an innocent¡¯s life.


    Our commander was ecstatic. She had her assistant take down a detailed record of every soldier¡¯s kills, and I was surprised to find myself among people commended for ¡®our eager efforts to help win the bet.¡¯ Apparently, it was the final soul-count that the sisters were interested in, rather than the strength of the opposite. It made me sick.


    We didn¡¯t take much from the village. Some soldiers hurriedly grabbed provisions. Others brought along a few interesting knickknacks. That was it. Other than the lives of all the inhabitants, of course.


    A whole community lost to the senseless violence of a demonic army.


    Funnily enough, everyone felt reinvigorated after our brief exertion. We still hated the sergeant¡¯s treatment of us, but after inflicting some good ol¡¯ senseless violence on innocent humans, we were ready to push ourselves further.


    Even I wasn¡¯t immune to this phenomenon. I knew exactly how heinous my actions were, but a part of me didn¡¯t care, so long as I got to unleash worse suffering on others than what I was experiencing myself.


    A nice cocktail of disgust and relief brewed in my chest as our pointless march continued. Disgust was rather obvious and self-explanatory. Relief, however, stemmed entirely from the fact that I had been able to do what I was ordered to do.


    Earlier, I decided to advance the demon ranks. That was true enough, but I still didn¡¯t know if I could follow through with what that meant. I wasn¡¯t sure if I could take innocent lives without shattering, like a porcelain figure dropped by a careless child.


    I now had my answer. I was, indeed, enough of a monster to survive in the demonic army. If things aligned just right, I could be monstrous enough to thrive.


    All that could be had at the low cost of a bleak numbness spreading through my mind and chest.

 Chapter 16: Advance

    After the third village, a few things became abundantly clear to me.


    Namely, even with all my effort and recent improvements, I shouldn¡¯t have been able to claim thirty-three souls in three villages. In fact, none of the humans in the army, infected by the Abyss or not, should have been able to claim a single soul.


    The demons were sandbagging.


    Just before the third attack, one of the more successful human recruits let her success get to her head. She became confident enough to try and turn her charms on an actual demon. The woman was pretty in a stark, I¡¯m-a-recruit-in-a-demonic-army kind of way. Her features were devoid of any fat and she had plenty of muscles, if that sort of thing appealed to demons.


    While the tall demoness looked amused enough at the start, she soon grew tired of rejecting the human¡¯s advances. After her patience wore out, she turned the human¡¯s head into a bloody mist with a single swipe.


    Now, I could have been wrong. But from experience, random peasants in the middle of nowhere didn¡¯t measure up to the recruits of a demonic army. Ergo, if the nice demoness who should definitely not be hit on could reduce one of those recruits to a grisly shower of gore in less than a second, she could do the same to a villager any day of the week.


    I only had to watch the demons move over the rough terrain to know that their running speed was being woefully underutilized too. All the humans were struggling, but the demons just loped along casually, with seemingly no effort. Hell, that insane sergeant of ours flitted back and forth around us like a hyperactive kid. She was at top speed constantly, and I never saw her break a sweat.


    All these ¡®subtle¡¯ clues eventually made me realize the truth. We were being humored. The only question that remained was why. I knew for a fact that demons desired souls more than we humans ever could. For us, souls were currency we could use to climb higher and climb faster. For demons, souls were everything.


    But if I needed a hundred souls just to move a sword from ¡®trash¡¯ to the ¡®damaged¡¯ tier, then how many souls would a solid demonic blade actually cost?


    It was this realization that finally showed me why the demons were willing to let us do our thing while they watched.


    It wasn¡¯t worth it.


    A single demon could wipe out an entire village of several hundred people, and they still might not get enough souls for a minor equipment upgrade.


    I had to be sneaky about it, but thanks to Sergeant Wilhelmina¡¯s reign of terror, demons were growing fairly tolerant towards the humans in their midst. That meant they were more willing to talk. It didn¡¯t take me too long to pin down a human-looking demon who actually engaged in casual conversation when approached politely.


    He didn¡¯t look old, but then again, none of the demons did. He had off-pink skin and very short horns, with no other inhuman features to speak of. He never introduced himself, but what he did share with me was his pay.


    Every demon in the legion was paid four thousand souls a month, and granted marching ¡®rations¡¯ of one thousand souls a month. So yes, going all out to wring a measly couple dozen villager souls was not particularly appealing to them.


    I wasn¡¯t complaining. Their indifference to the villages gave the rest of us a chance. Still, the realization confirmed my worst fears. The number of souls it would take to advance into a demon and gain a semblance of safety was astronomical.


    The solution, at first glance, seemed to be as obvious as my problem. All I had to do was wait for major battles, like my very first one. But if things were as simple as that, I would have been one happy camper. Unfortunately, minimal further reflection told me I was an idiot.


    It boiled down to a simple question: How many souls did I manage to collect on my own in the fighting? The answer was discouraging. Now, I couldn¡¯t recall everything with perfect clarity, but before the all-out slaughter fest among nominal allies, I had barely twenty-something souls, if that.


    It was only through the murder of my fellow recruits that I swiftly accrued enough souls to fuel my learning of two invaluable skills and upgrade my sword. A sudden chill took me at the realization. I had to fight down the urge to stare at the soldiers who surrounded me during the endless march. I did take more than a few furtive glances though.


    Most of them were human.


    How many would put two and two together and arrive at murder as their only path to success, like I had? How many were planning to stab a sword into my back the first chance they got?


    I wasn¡¯t sure, but I didn¡¯t like my chances much.


    With great grace and subtlety, I¡¯m sure, I allowed myself to fall back a little, almost to the edge of the ¡®marching¡¯ troops. At this point, we were barely plodding forward with everyone tired and exhausted. Our nonexistent formation would have gotten us shot in a regular army.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    I was trying to fake extra exhaustion while looking for a nice strategic position I could take up, when a second round of chills kissed its way down my back.


    While the middle of the formation was full of tired, dead-eyed men and women entirely done with marching, the edges were ripe with tension and suspicion. Everyone here kept themselves as far away from the rest as they could. I could swear the demons were watching us with amusement and derision, like they were expecting trouble to erupt at any moment.


    They probably were.


    It probably would.


    I picked up my pace again, my mind spinning.


    Okay. So, obviously, I wasn¡¯t the only one to work out the problem.


    I very nearly allowed myself to curse, and loudly at that. Without meaning to, I had fallen into an easy sort of confidence. After all, I had been thrust into a dangerous environment with almost no preparation, and despite that, I had survived and thrived. Hadn¡¯t I? I was one of the most successful recruits, I just knew it. Besides, I didn¡¯t see any other humans lugging around weapons that could be marked down as legacies items.


    But all my success wouldn¡¯t matter if I let overconfidence blind me to the true danger.


    Of course, I wasn¡¯t the only one who¡¯d figured things out. Of course, I wasn¡¯t the only person with a brain in the middle of a band of hardened survivors. Sure, many recruits had gotten lucky, and some had squeaked by thanks only to a few basic fighting skills. But assuming they were all dumb, and I was the only intelligent person around?


    That would get me killed, and quickly.


    My first order of business that day was figuring out what part of the formation to stick to. I didn¡¯t need it to be pleasant, but I definitely wanted to minimize the chances of anyone getting a bit too stabby in my vicinity.


    That took me closer to the demons. Sure, they were dangerously powerful and probably in a bad mood. But even the most murder-y of my fellow humans would be less likely to start something so close to our demon betters.


    Luckily, the human-ish demon I was trying to get on better terms with was at the very edge of the demonic ranks. I had no trouble moving towards him gradually. Before long, I was running right by his side.


    The demon gave me an odd look when he realized it, then eventually smirked and looked away. I wasn¡¯t one hundred percent certain that was a good sign, but at least he didn¡¯t vaporize me on the spot. I let out an audible sigh of relief.


    The next item on my agenda was, of course, securing some way to advance.


    The demons wouldn¡¯t sandbag forever. The next time we came across a larger population center, they would probably swarm it and reap as many souls as they could. A couple of souls per village might not be worth a demon¡¯s time, but what if they could each walk away with a couple hundred? Even in comparison to their salary, that was a tempting prospect. And I wasn¡¯t foolish enough to assume I could beat a demon at the soul-reaping game. This left me with the unpleasant task of finding alternate ways to improve my fortunes.


    In other words, figuring out which of the non-demon recruits I could safely kill.


    At first, I contented myself with keeping an eye on the rest of my fellow humans. Or rather, fellow mortals. Various non-human races were a minority in our ranks, but still present.


    I assumed they¡¯d die just like the rest of us though.


    After several days of observation and two more villages, I settled on several potential targets. My yield from the two villages was a grand total of fourteen souls. Nice, but not enough.


    Then, to my great excitement, news from our crazed sergeant began filtering through the ranks. We would arrive at our first city in four days. Even better, we would pass through one more village on the way.


    Once my surly pink demonic ¡®friend¡¯ confirmed this information, I made my final preparations.


    I sifted through potential targets, finally settling on a pair of humans who liked to move together. The two men weren¡¯t the best of friends, but they clearly knew each other and were willing to cooperate. Fortunately for my purposes, while they kept an eye out for each other on the road, they tended to separate when looting villages.


    Best of all, none of the other ¡®wised up¡¯ human recruits seemed to be paying any attention to this pair.


    As we descended on the final village, I hung back just enough to be close behind my targets. I watched carefully when they broke up to start busting down doors, gauging whether anyone else was following them.


    No one was.


    Victim number one broke through into his first house, laughing and jeering as he went about his bloody business. I slipped in after him.


    A male villager was bleeding out on the floor already, having tried to protect his family. A woman was there too, on the ground but alive, frantically trying to crawl closer to her two children.


    My fellow soldier kicked her away and loomed menacingly over the boy and girl.


    ¡°Stay still, you little rats. I¡¯m in a hurry here, and they¡¯re not going to wait for me to show your mother what a real man¡¯s like if this takes too long,¡± he chuckled. Then he brought down his sword.


    The man¡¯s cruelty settled what little doubt I still had.


    My sword was already in my hands, and the creep was preoccupied, reveling in his own horrific deeds. That made it easy for me to position myself just right, sidle up to him, and swing with both arms.


    The blade bit into the side of his neck and seamlessly slid out the other with nary a whisper. As his head rolled and he erupted into ash, I quietly gave thanks to Hayden¡¯s mother.


    Soul crystals erupted from his bag, spilling all over the floor. My avarice erupted even more violently as I gazed at them. The precious objects glinted enchantingly, faces pressing against their facets.


    The woman whimpered behind me. Whirling around, I saw such devastating loss and grief on her face that I briefly faltered.


    My sword found its mark a moment later. It was mercy. One of the other soldiers would have found her. And with what had just happened, a quick end was probably the best outcome she would get.


    I collected the souls in a hurry, then snuck over to the other house. What I found there was equally repulsive, but it helped me get the drop on the second recruit.


    Just like that, I had killed two people within the army I now served.


    When we emerged from the village some time later, no one mentioned that we were missing a few men. Maybe no one noticed. I thought I saw gloating expressions on some demon faces, but that didn¡¯t really matter.


    What mattered was that I was now 257 souls richer.

 Chapter 17: Demonic Knowledge

    My dastardly scheme and its execution were just the beginning. After all, what good was wealth if I couldn¡¯t use it properly?


    I needed answers. For that, I turned my gaze towards the human-ish demon who hadn¡¯t killed me yet and whose name I still didn¡¯t know.


    He was happy enough to exchange grunts and some inane chatter while we were on the move. He would even share a tidbit of information occasionally. But most of the time, he was still as cold and standoffish as the rest of the demons. It¡¯s not that they detested us or anything. They just tended to look at us the same way a human would look at a particularly bright animal. Cute? Sure. Something to spend some of your time on? Maybe. An equal? Hardly.


    I couldn¡¯t blame them. Frankly, I was starting to prefer demons to the company of my fellow mortals.


    Over the last few raids, I had seen the human recruits torture the locals, desecrate their corpses, and far worse. Even if I didn¡¯t witness it, the bragging and horrid stories afterwards were enough to turn my stomach. These weren¡¯t people that I knew in my previous life. These were recruits with morals warped and twisted by their hellish upbringing until they were more demonic than the demons themselves.


    The demons, by contrast, were ruthless and efficient killers. I saw one or two prolong their kills, of course. But compared to what the human recruits were doing? Yeah, the demons were clearly the better option, morally speaking.


    Unfortunately, this shift in my thinking didn¡¯t improve the demons¡¯ low opinion of me as a mortal. I needed a conversational opening. To get it, I came up with a genius plan.


    Gambling.


    Even demons needed hobbies. Most of them spent their downtime with cards or dice, letting souls slip through their fingers. My pink demon ¡®friend¡¯ was no exception.


    My plan had several issues to work through. First, the stakes. Every gambling session I managed to eavesdrop on started at a couple dozen souls, minimum. They usually wrapped up at a couple hundred souls per demon. I couldn¡¯t afford it.


    Access was another problem. The demons were likely to laugh me out of their circle, and might even murder me outright if I asked to play.


    Finally, I needed to have a relatively private chat with my target. He might feel somewhat comfortable socializing with a mortal out of the public eye. In a group of other demons? I had a feeling he would shut me down.


    After the final village, I spent the rest of the day working through these problems, fine-tuning my plan and deciding to take my chances on the more unstable elements. We would reach the city in three days, and I needed to be ready.


    That night, I waited until the human-ish demon separated from his comrades and returned to his sleeping bag. Then I approached him, my soul pouch in my hands and a stiff smile stuck on my face.


    ¡°Would you like to play a game of dice, perhaps?¡±


    I tried to make my voice confident and casual. Judging by the stink-eye he gave me, this effort was pathetic.


    ¡°With you?¡± the demon growled. ¡°How much can you even afford to put up, mortal? Do you even have dice? Please, get moving before I eviscerate you for wasting my time.¡±


    He turned away. Before I could overthink things or chicken out, I spoke again.


    ¡°Three hundred and twenty-five. That¡¯s how many souls I¡¯ve got. And, well, I was hoping you had dice?¡±


    He did. I knew he did because I had seen him draw them out when playing another demon. He sighed loudly as he turned to look at me again, face entirely blank.


    ¡°What do you want from me? Help? Do you want me to protect you from the other big bad demons? It must be something big, if you¡¯re so willing to part with the souls you killed for.¡±


    He didn¡¯t have to specify that I killed other recruits. His tone did all the work for him. I didn¡¯t know how he knew, but he did. In fact, I strongly suspected all the demons did. I had no idea why no one was doing anything about it, but as long as things were working in my favor, I didn¡¯t care.


    Since I clearly couldn¡¯t hide anything from him anyway, I decided honesty was my best policy. ¡°No protection or help. I just have some questions.¡±


    ¡°Questions?¡± His disbelief was apparent. ¡°You¡¯re risking your life and all your wealth because you¡¯re curious?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    The demon scoffed and shook his head. Then, to my relief, he smiled.


    ¡°Fine, mortal. Fine. Put that purse away though. I¡¯m not poor enough to prey on a recruit.¡±


    That caught me off guard, but I quickly did as I was told. I wasn¡¯t about to question the sudden altruism of a demon.


    ¡°Now then,¡± he said as I settled down tentatively on the ground in front of him. ¡°What questions were worth taking the risk to approach a demon when you¡¯re terrified of us?¡±


    I couldn¡¯t deny it. I was terrified of every infernal around me, and the things they could do so casually to me. Floating in the void and getting slowly devoured again wasn¡¯t ideal, but getting turned into currency sounded much worse.


    ¡°I have¡­¡± I took a deep breath to center myself, focusing on the task ahead. Straightforward does it. ¡°I¡¯ve done my best to collect souls, but what should I actually use them on? What can I do to both survive and thrive in this army?¡±


    The demon examined me again. I liked to think he might be starting to appreciate what he saw.


    ¡°Interesting question. Fine,¡± the demon said, his voice now reflecting a slightly positive note. ¡°The first thing you need to do is make sure you¡¯re skilled enough. You¡¯ve fought dregs so far, don¡¯t let anyone tell you otherwise. Even that fortress city was just a no-name place where second rate troops gathered. You wouldn¡¯t believe what a skilled mortal can accomplish with a blade, even from a demon¡¯s point of view.¡±Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    ¡°So, look through my souls and absorb more fighting skills? To form some kind of foundation?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yes and no. Listen, mortal, don¡¯t make the mistake of absorbing too many souls that way. Demon minds are different than yours. We can absorb the knowledge of as many mortals as we like. But a mortal mind¡­ take too many souls, and you won¡¯t like what happens to you.¡±


    I was silent for a beat, my thoughts drifting to topics I would rather avoid. Like how I was still reaching for things with my left hand, and how all the horrible food we were forcing down was almost palatable to me, or¡­


    With great effort, I pulled my mind back to the conversation.


    ¡°Got it. But¡­ what about ascension? Should I throw souls at it? How many souls would that take? And¡­ my sword seems better than regular weapons, but it¡¯s still ¡®damaged.¡¯ Should I purchase some equipment?¡±


    The demon laughed in my face then. Others of his kind glanced in our direction, but he made no attempt to hide his derision.


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s just¡­ Listen, kid, you are incredibly lucky that killing you doesn¡¯t mean getting that sword. I honestly don¡¯t know what you¡¯re doing, just parading around with it like that. Someone might take offense at a mere human in possession of a demonic soul blade.¡±


    To say I went pale would be an understatement. Still, I didn¡¯t get it. The sword was great, sure, but¡­ ¡°Why would anyone be upset?¡±


    ¡°You have no clue, do you?¡± The demon looked at me with pity. ¡°No, I suppose you wouldn¡¯t. If you have that thing, you¡¯re probably a legacy. You know, your parents really screwed you over. If they could¡¯ve waited just a little longer, you would have been born a demon. Why anyone would sire a child before their full ascension is beyond me.¡±


    ¡°Before¡­? My parents were demons, then?¡±


    ¡°Most definitely. You can¡¯t get one of those blades otherwise. Only demons can leave Legacies. So, even if only one of your parents eventually ascended, they would¡¯ve been better off waiting to have you.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡± I took a deep breath. This wasn¡¯t the time to get off track. ¡°What¡¯s so special about the sword?¡±


    The demon shot me a disgruntled look and grit his teeth, but he did answer. ¡°Mortal, you¡¯re holding a soul blade. That¡¯s explanation enough. Do you think that equipment you can soul-bind to, that can deal incredible damage and grow alongside you, is common? Something you can purchase with a couple thousand souls?¡±


    ¡°No?¡±


    ¡°No is right. Those are practically priceless. You can technically buy them for enough souls, but they are typically auctioned. The kind of wealth you¡¯d need¡­ no, the only practical way to get them is through merit. If you do something impressive enough, a noble demon might bestow one upon you. I don¡¯t have a clue how you ended up with one.¡±


    Neither did I, but I wasn¡¯t about to volunteer that information.


    The demon went on, ¡°Listen, all that said, you¡¯re on the right track. You need armor if you want to survive. It will cost you, but as you are right now, any serious combatant can just cut you down in a second and move on. There are a ton of potions you could use too. Some that increase mana, some that toughen up the body, and even some that enhance the mind.¡±


    ¡°Can I afford those?¡± The bitterness in my words was clear enough that I winced, glancing at him to see if I was about to get murdered.


    Thankfully, he just found me funny.


    ¡°The good stuff? The kind of potions we demons would use? No. Of course not. The dregs that get pawned off to desperate mortals? Yes. Then again, you¡¯re not even a baby in the eyes of a demon, so trust me, even those would be useful to you. They¡¯re also expensive.¡±


    Of course they were. The demonic sword I had seen was priced at a couple thousand souls. The items my ¡®friend¡¯ was describing would cost far less, but considering how hard it was to get souls¡­


    ¡°And that¡¯s better than just saving up for ascension?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Kid, you won¡¯t survive long enough to get the souls you need for ascension without those.¡±


    ¡°How much is that anyway? I mean, how much does ascension cost?¡±


    ¡°A thousand basic souls, if you want to do it right,¡± the demon said.


    There was something about the demon¡¯s tone that I caught onto immediately.


    ¡°If I do it right?¡±


    The demon grimaced in a human-like way and shook his head. He was getting more talkative as the conversation went on. ¡°Technically, you can try to trigger ascension when you hit fifty percent, or five hundred souls. I say technically because as a baseline human, you would have leave yourself a fifty percent chance to end up as an imp instead of a lesser demon.¡±


    I didn¡¯t like the amount of venom he put into the word ¡®imp.¡¯


    ¡°Is there really such a big difference between the two?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Yes, there is. Imps are to demons what regular animals are to humans. They¡¯re hellhounds. Mindless, vicious beasts of slaughter. Imps can theoretically ascend to become lesser demons, but it¡¯s rare, and¡­ difficult. You don¡¯t want to end up an imp. If you do things right and fill up your ascension counter all the way, you¡¯re guaranteed to evolve into at least a lesser demon. Unless you get ambushed during your ascension, that is. Or you¡¯re already grievously wounded. Then you might become an imp anyway.¡±


    I was ravenous to know more. The most important part of his explanation wasn¡¯t how a person became an imp, but rather the words ¡®at least¡¯ which implied the possibility to start my demonic existence as something better than a lesser demon¡­


    ¡°How can I do better than that? Do I go over one hundred percent if I don¡¯t want to be just a lesser demon?¡±


    The demon shot me a pleased smile, then shook his head. ¡°Afraid not. A thousand souls is just the price the Abyss demands for your transformation. To become powerful after you¡¯ve ascended, you need to be powerful as a human. In practical terms? That means you need to have a much higher amount of mana than normal. Bind it to your body to refine it, or gather it into some kind of core like mages, or just store it within you somehow, it doesn¡¯t matter. If you don¡¯t have a method to do that already, look for one. The locals here are pitiful, but even one of their paths to power is better than nothing, and it¡¯s not like their skills are guaranteed to be horrible.¡±


    I could still remember the show the elite defenders put on with their final stand. Then again, they did get wiped out effortlessly by the general. The look on my face must have given away my thoughts as the demon continued.


    ¡°It¡¯s not the locals¡¯ fault. This is a weak, fledgling world. Do you really think they¡¯d let recruits into an advanced one? No, you¡¯re stuck in the kiddy invasion, and we were just unlucky enough to get the job of babysitting you and doing the actual work. I swear, the souls here are practically worthless.¡±


    Judging by his anger, I didn¡¯t think the demon was lying to me. Still, his emphasis over the ¡®weakness¡¯ of the locals was alarming. What about the worlds he took seriously? Would I be sent to one of them someday? As a mortal? I shuddered.


    ¡°You don¡¯t get to choose which invasion you wanted to join?¡± I asked.


    I regretted the words as soon as they were out, but I couldn¡¯t take them back. Thankfully, the demon didn¡¯t see the question as an insult.


    ¡°No. I¡¯m¡­ new, to the legion. I transferred in.¡± When the demon saw the blank look in my eyes, he chortled. ¡°Honestly, I¡¯m not sure whether you¡¯re lucky or very much the opposite. I mean, you can earn a decent number of souls here, but compared to every other legion, the danger with this legion is highest. Really, you might want to transfer out the second your current contract expires, whether you¡¯ve ascended by then or not.¡±


    ¡°My contract?¡± I echoed the words dumbly.


    He gave me a confused look. ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°What contract?¡±


    ¡°Seriously? What do you think that thing is for?¡± The demon motioned towards the brand on my hand. ¡°Didn¡¯t you know what you were signing? Seriously, mortals. Just touch it, and focus.¡±


    I did as the demon commanded and gingerly placed my fingers on the brand. The second I focused on it, information popped up in my head, organizing itself neatly into something I could peruse at my leisure.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.0535%">


    Hayden Hall: Recruit Second Class


    Contract duration: 99 years, 11 months, 7 days, 17 minutes


    Merits: N/A


    Commendations: N/A


    Achievements: First Wave Survivor


    Traits: Shattered Legacy holder (Lethaniel Hall) ¨C inactive due to insufficient qualifications, ascend to proceed with Legacy inheritance


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    I wasn¡¯t sure what to say. A hundred years of my life, casually signed over, like someone could even guarantee I¡¯d live that long.


    I just sighed and dropped my head into my hands, the laughter of my demon ¡®friend¡¯ echoing in my ears.

 Chapter 18: Opportunity

    The demon sent me off after that, his green eyes sparkling happily at my misery. Before I left, however, I did get him to tell me reluctantly that his name was Bronwynn. It was a small thing, but I felt like I had made some progress in the relationship.


    I also still had all my souls. Bonus!


    The demon¡¯s revelations, though¡­ well, they troubled me. Deeply.


    For one thing, his final comment revealed a lack of faith in my ability to ascend within a hundred years. I rolled my eyes every time I remembered that. If I couldn¡¯t pull it off by then, and I was somehow still alive, then my biggest concern would be arthritis, not the expiration of my contract. Or maybe my new body had better genetics than my old one, which had already started to ache in my late twenties?


    Regardless, I now had two brand-new things to worry about.


    First was the purchase of the armor and potions Bronwynn had recommended. Second was the revelation that I¡¯d be pitifully weak after ascension if I didn¡¯t find a way to grow my mana, pronto.


    As I returned to my sleeping bag, this second problem rose to the top of my priority list. I mean, ¡®lesser¡¯ demon didn¡¯t have a great ring to it.


    Once again, I found myself desperately in need of knowledge I didn¡¯t possess. The schooling Hayden received before I pulled a body snatcher covered only the very basics of mana manipulation. I wasn¡¯t sure whether this was purposeful, because the demons wanted to keep recruits weak and compliant, or if the knowledge was just too valuable. That didn¡¯t really matter.


    What did matter was my need to acquire these skills. Yesterday.


    Souls were the most obvious route to such power. If I could somehow get my hands on anything past a basic soul, I could probably get a mana accumulation skill out of it. There had to be something that made higher-tier souls special, and mana was the most obvious explanation, right?


    This, of course, meant I would have to murder a local champion.


    Or a mage.


    Given a choice between the two, I decided to aim for the latter. The elite locals I had seen so far were all physically formidable. The one mage I saw up close and personal, even with all her power, looked frail.


    If I could somehow get close to a mage, I stood a real chance.


    My one advantage was my Legacy blade. After all Bronwynn¡¯s hints, I was eager to explore all the weapon¡¯s abilities. Unfortunately, I didn¡¯t have the volunteers and facilities necessary for that process.


    I had to content myself with my memories.


    The next day, as we marched, I focused all my attention on my previous experiences with the sword. After a few moments of concentration, I began to notice some inconsistencies about the weapon.


    For one thing, while the blade cut through flesh easily, it had trouble with any other material. I could cut off limbs and heads with minimal effort. Armor, even the thinnest and flimsiest, was another story.


    So was fabric. I could distinctly remember a moment when I chopped off a local¡¯s arm. The blade had barely cut through the first half of the peasant¡¯s sleeve, sliced effortlessly through flesh, and then failed to sever the rest of the fabric. The result was a missing arm and a dangling, blood-soaked sleeve.


    And lots of screaming, but I silenced that easily enough.


    If the sword was so wickedly sharp against flesh and bone, why did it struggle with clothes? Why did I have to aim for gaps in armor to land a hit?


    I drew my weapon, ignoring the eyes that immediately turned towards me from all directions. With great trepidation, I ran the blade lightly across my palm.


    Nothing. My skin remained unbroken.


    I blinked in surprise. Feeling bolder, I pressed the sword¡¯s tip against my palm and pushed.


    I might as well have tried to stab myself with a wooden spoon.


    Feeling more baffled than ever, I sheathed my sword with a sigh. A glance at Bronwynn showed me that my ¡®marching companion¡¯ was watching me with a grin. He clearly found my confusion amusing.


    I tried to ask him about it, later that day. He ignored me.


    That was okay. Just the knowledge, and confirmation, that the sword I held in my hand meant something was valuable. I gripped the weapon¡¯s hilt as we marched on. I would get my answers somehow and I would find an opportunity to acquire a mage¡¯s soul.


    I had to.


    Then, a day and a half away from the city, we encountered a pleasant surprise.


    Hundreds of humans, knights by the looks of them, had set up camp ahead. Cooking fires belched smoke into the darkening sky as the knights went about socializing, eating, and generally relaxing.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    The demons spotted them from miles away, well before the knights¡¯ mortal eyesight could detect our approach.


    For once, this didn¡¯t result in an all-out rush to slaughter the locals who dared stand in our path. Instead, our sergeant called a halt and convened with her officers. She then sent them out through the demonic ranks to give orders to their subordinates, but we mere mortals were left uninformed.


    Eventually, Bronwynn couldn¡¯t pretend to ignore the looks I was sending him, and he took pity on me. I silently celebrated my ability to emulate a kicked puppy.


    ¡°It¡¯s a scouting party from the city,¡± he explained. ¡°Not a big deal, except they have a few mages. We need to sneak up on them and either kill them quickly or put up a barrier, to prevent them from sending messages to the city.¡±


    Mages. The mere mention of them sent excitement surging through my veins. There I was, wondering how in the world I¡¯d ever get my hands on mana accumulation techniques, and I had mages in my vicinity!


    The trickle-down of orders reached the human recruits at that point. We scrambled to obey as the snarling officers quickly organized us into something resembling an actual army. Then four demons stepped out of the ranks and positioned themselves in a square around the formation, one at each corner. They didn¡¯t even have to chant. Darkness boiled off them and stretched over all the gathered troops, covering the sky before flickering and fading away.


    The density of the released mana nearly made me choke. To my surprise, I was one of only a few humans affected. The rest of the mortal troops just kept staring straight ahead, oblivious to the power surging through our ranks.


    Sergeant Wilhelmina ordered us into a march then, all in-step and orderly-like, and we drew steadily closer to the humans¡¯ camp. Soon we were only yards away from their tents. I kept expecting them to notice us, but the demonic mana had done its work. The locals remained completely unaware of our presence.


    Somehow, this was not good for my nerves.


    The demons¡¯ behavior was also unsettling. They were eerily quiet and focused during the whole thing, their faces perfectly blank. This could only mean the encounter was very important to Wilhelmina. If we screwed this up, there would literally be hell to pay.


    By the time our procession paused one final time, right at the edge of the camp, I couldn¡¯t even hear the knights¡¯ jovial chatter over the pounding of my own heart.


    Our commander drew a pair of wicked-looking daggers, pointed forward, and grinned.


    The magical darkness materialized over us again. Then it exploded outwards, enveloping the enemy camp in less than a second. It lingered in the air like a deadly fog, shrouding the whole area, snuffing out the sun¡¯s last weak rays. The only remaining light came from the locals¡¯ bonfires, so when the charge started, that¡¯s what we flocked to.


    The humans panicked.


    A demonic army materializing inside the camp was bad news for both morale and readiness. We met minimal resistance in the initial charge. I managed to slit a man¡¯s throat and then skewer a woman before they even reached for their weapons. Of course, their training kicked in eventually, and they managed to mount an organized resistance.


    That was then ruthlessly demolished by the demons.


    The spawn of the Abyss didn¡¯t care about polished armor, sharpened blades, and human training. Even the keenest blades shattered against demonic skin, and armor crumpled like wet tissue paper under infernal claws.


    The sudden efficiency of the demons¡¯ assault only hastened my steps. The search for mages pushed me deeper and deeper into the camp, heedless of the defenders trying to rally.


    My haste cost me bitterly.


    I was slipping past yet another tent when the flap opened and a knight stepped out. He was fully equipped, and by the way, he was holding his weapon, also quite well-trained.


    The man¡¯s shock faded faster than mine, and then he was on me.


    I barely dodged the first slash, and only because my dagger flashed out, deflecting the blade. I parried the stab that followed, then lashed out with my sword, aiming for the man¡¯s forearm instead of his body. He managed to get his shield between us. His grim expression revealed he was now taking me much more seriously.


    The lighting-fast exchange was easy and natural, even though I suddenly realized I had my sword in my left hand and my dagger in the right. This bothered me, but not enough to take my attention from the knight as our clash continued. My mind was entirely consumed by combat, by how to angle my blades just so in order to deflect his attacks without damaging my weapons, by the necessity of lightning speed to take advantage of every opportunity.


    Face to face with an actual challenge, I realized something strange. I was enjoying myself.


    A lot.


    Unfortunately, this discovery also made me want to excel, not just win.


    That was when I started¡­ overthinking things.


    I had memories of ¡®my¡¯ training. Every second of it, in fact. The absorbed soul¡¯s memories were actually clearer than most of my own. But when I focused on them, when I tried to find a path to swift victory, I faltered.


    I knew what I wanted to do, how I wanted my body to act, but my actual body wasn¡¯t identical to the one in my memories. My reach wasn¡¯t the same, and neither was the movement style required for my physique.


    When I ran everything on autopilot, this wasn¡¯t an issue. Now that I was taking a hard, close look? Well¡­


    It was like forgetting how to breathe, where instead of it happening on autopilot, each breath of air had to be forced manually into the lungs.


    In other words, I messed up.


    The knight scored a deep, vicious cut right through my left arm. I bellowed in pain and started backpedaling. Pressing his advantage, the knight rushed inside my guard. Then he bashed his shield into my chest and sent me sailing backwards.


    I tumbled over the ground, but my grip on my weapons remained firm, and I somehow avoided stabbing myself. Even better, thanks to some benevolent unholy deity or the Abyss itself, my left arm was actually still functional, despite the damage it took. The fear and adrenaline surging through me also managed to knock me back into the groove, drowning out my fumbling thoughts.


    That was how I managed to lash out desperately with my sword. By some miracle, it actually stabbed deep into the approaching knight¡¯s right ankle. I had just enough time to angle my dagger as the man screamed and crumpled forward. His face fell directly onto my cold steel, silencing his pain. He did, however, manage to give me a parting gift of agony when his sword found purchase in my thigh.


    I wasn¡¯t ashamed of my whimpering as I pushed the man away and struggled to my feet. The wound was not ideal, and I knew I would have to see to it relatively soon, but I pushed myself onward.


    I assumed the mages would be at the very heart of the encampment, and I was right. A trio of fancy, colorful tents separated them from the knights of the scouting party. The rich fabric also made the tents rather appealing targets for all enemies.


    Including a demon who was laughing as he hoisted three severed heads in front of the crumpled, burning tents.


    I almost collapsed as bitterness swept through me. I was too late. I skipped out on weaker souls, got myself ambushed, took two bad wounds, and still failed. I had missed one of the few advancement opportunities I was likely to get.

 Chapter 19: Rush

    I wasn¡¯t exactly crushed, but I couldn¡¯t quench the anxiety raging in my chest. All my worst fears had been confirmed.


    The demons were starting to let loose. They didn¡¯t hide their excitement as we got closer to the city. We mortals would be left in the dust while they gorged on the souls of the locals.


    The only thing to be thankful for was that their ardor cooled somewhat when we actually sighted our target. The reason was obvious.


    The city we were set to invade didn¡¯t look like much.


    ¡®City¡¯ was a generous term. Even from a distance, it seemed more like a large town than a small city. It did, however, have a decent wall surrounding it. Not nearly as impressive as the wall defending Fortress City 12, but it was tall, sturdy, and big enough for groups of defenders to patrol its top.


    The problem was, even by the most optimistic estimates, the ¡®city¡¯ housed a maximum of two thousand souls. There was just no getting around the fact that it was small, almost tiny.


    Grumbling was already breaking out among the demons, even though they did keep it down. No one was stupid enough to complain to our psychotic commander.


    The commander herself didn¡¯t care.


    She darted here and there at the head of the procession, heedless of her troops¡¯ discontent, her fists opening and closing like she was trying to squeeze the life out of the city. Even from my place near the back, I could feel the vibrations of her mounting bloodlust. She was clearly about to lose all pretense of calm.


    Sergeant Wilhelmina didn¡¯t disappoint.


    ¡°Charge! I don¡¯t care what you do, but I want every single one of the humans killed! If even one of them escapes, I¡¯ll have your hides!¡±


    The demoness then surged ahead of us all, her mad cackling laugh ringing through the air.


    The demons didn¡¯t need to be told twice. Their lazy loping pace switched instantly to a full-out sprint. I could only watch in shock as they ate up the distance to the wall at a ridiculous pace.


    I tried to push myself. I knew I couldn¡¯t catch up, but I wanted to try to at least stick to the tail end of their procession and earn a few more souls for my troubles.


    I failed.


    The Body Strengthening technique I had integrated into my soul made me one of the fastest mortals in the legion. I was out in front, way ahead of the other non-demon troops, but I still lagged far behind even the slowest demons.


    Worse, my efforts didn¡¯t go unnoticed.


    There were three of us who managed to put on a satisfactory performance. A woman who looked more cat than human, a man with a body so large and muscle-packed I was half convinced he was a demon already, and little old me. I knew that none of us were necessarily combat geniuses or even the most deadly mortals in the demonic army, but our speed and endurance alone made us valuable.


    As in valuable targets.


    I could feel hungry eyes boring into my back as I ran. The other demonic soldiers behind us were definitely taking notice. And thanks to Hayden¡¯s mana training, I was keenly, supernaturally aware of just how many people now wanted to kill me.


    Yay, mana.


    But I didn¡¯t have much time to focus on that. My whole attention was consumed with running the Body Strengthening technique.


    It was a risky move. Trying to manage the Dual Style skill mid-combat had nearly gotten me killed. Still, I had absorbed the Body Strengthening technique at the basic rank. That came with mana pathways already charted and certain instincts ingrained. More importantly, it came with memories of training to build up the technique.


    As such, I knew what I needed to do to improve.


    I struggled to maintain the technique as I ran, using the reckless rush to test out the flow of mana and even introduce small variations. I almost took a nosedive once or twice, but it wasn¡¯t too long before I could take over the process manually and boost the technique¡¯s effectiveness. It drained me more, but it let me eke out just a bit more speed.


    This extra speed enabled me to pull ahead of the other two humans. I hit the wall just as the demons finished with it.


    Honestly, their assault was a thing of glory.


    As the demonic troops approached, the defenders managed to produce a smattering of arrow volleys and even a couple vicious explosion spells. The demons didn¡¯t care. They tanked it all, arrows and spells be damned. Not a single projectile managed to leave a mark on a demon¡¯s skin.


    I thought the wall would slow them down, at least briefly. I was wrong.


    Most demons just climbed right up.


    When they jumped, their feet left gouges in the stone while their claws created handholds out of nothing, digging into the hard rock like it was wet clay.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    Other demons opted to stay on the ground and unleash spells. Fire balls, fire breaths, and other incendiary missiles rose up like a reverse rain, mercilessly wiping out any locals crazy enough to stick around on the wall.


    In one particularly impressive final move, a massive demon ran up to the wall, dug his hands into the stone, and wrenched the stone barrier apart.


    There must have been some magic involved. The wall was rent asunder, rocks shoved aside and bunched up around the gaping hole. The rest of the demonic wave flooded through the wall, which now looked like a violently opened can of tuna.


    That was when the other two front-runners and I caught up with the assault.


    Amazingly, we weren¡¯t as far behind as I had feared. Even with their prodigious speed, the demons still had to find victims for their violent impulses. That meant wrenching aside doors, demolishing more walls, and turning hundreds of homes into death traps, one by one.


    My two companions joined in the rush eagerly. They couldn¡¯t break doors down as fast as the demons, but those troops were surprisingly cavalier about passing up opportunities. If another demonic soldier was already working on a door, the demons just moved on to another property. The other two mortal front-runners copied this strategy, marking their presence and moving house to house in search of souls to reap.


    Following their example didn¡¯t appeal to me.


    The amount of individual souls I could get that way was miniscule. More, this was time to prioritize quality over quantity.


    I still wanted my mage soul.


    I rushed deeper into the city, scanning desperately for knights or other elite locals. We had caught them with their proverbial pants down. They would either be scrambling to sally forth or trying to get out of the city.


    Finally, as I reached the wealthier districts near the city center, I spotted potential quarry. A grim-faced older knight emerged from a majestic building, leading a small group of fighters towards the chaos of battle. More importantly, trailing behind the group were two figures in robes. One clutched a tall staff while the other hugged a book to their chest.


    I didn¡¯t rush in immediately. That would result only in my swift and painful death. Instead, I slipped behind the nearest building and began stalking them. It was only a matter of time before a demon picked a fight with a group that large, and when that happened, I would be there to ¡®assist¡¯ from the back.


    I expected to get caught, really. Mages might not be scouts or rogues, but my extensive video game and reading experience made me assume they would have some way of scanning their surroundings. Sort of a magic sonar, maybe?


    No such power appeared. If anything, the two magic users seemed dazed as they stumbled through the streets. As for the knights, they were far too preoccupied by the destruction raining down on their city to look behind them.


    I took full advantage of this, moving close to assess my two potential targets.


    The staff-wielder was a rather old man. He stooped as he walked, face hidden by the hood of his cloak. If it weren¡¯t for the long, silvery beard that fell down to his chest, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to identify anything about him.


    The other mage was much younger, and a woman. A girl, really. Her hood was somewhat pulled back, so I caught a few clear glimpses of her face as she looked around in a panic.


    Ideally, I would take down both of them. But that wasn¡¯t realistic. As soon as an attacking demon was aware of my presence, it would probably snatch up any remaining souls in a show of strength. Or just demolish me for interfering. Infighting and backstabbing really didn¡¯t seem above the demons.


    I needed to pick, and at first glance, that should have been easy. The older the mage, the better. Right?


    Except the girl wasn¡¯t acting subservient, the way an apprentice or student might. If anything, the man deferred to her, walking a couple steps behind and taking care to reassure her whenever she glanced back. He was behaving more like a bodyguard than a mentor or friend.


    It was a tough decision. Should I go for the older mage, who was more likely to be experienced in mana accumulation? Or would it be better to kill the girl, who probably had a higher social standing and, therefore, access to better techniques?


    Before I could choose, the moment arrived.


    Just up ahead of the advancing group, a demon rounded the corner. Flames licked up his arms, making his purple skin glisten. His bare chest was covered in traces of blood. The crimson droplets sizzled and bubbled, slowly forming patterns that made my head hurt.


    The demon didn¡¯t bother to speak. He simply laughed, the horrible sound ringing through the streets. Then he raised his arms and sent an overwhelming surge of flames towards the humans.


    The older mage stepped forward, putting himself between the girl and danger, and picked up a chant. Instantly, a golden shield sprang up, halting the advance of the flames mere inches away from the knight leading their group.


    I didn¡¯t hesitate.


    I was just a few yards behind them, only a short sprint separated me from my victim. There was no reason to hold back resources at that point, and I pumped whatever mana I could get into my Body Strengthening technique and shot off towards the female mage, keeping my footsteps as quiet as I could.


    It wasn¡¯t my footsteps that alerted them. The second I was out in the open with my mana was boiling inside me, both mages stiffened and whirled in my direction.


    The man was slower, distracted by the fire still clashing with his barrier spell, but the girl spotted me at once. Terror played across her features. She fumbled with her book, struggling to open it and instead dropping it in her haste.


    I didn¡¯t relax.


    Three yards, then two, then one. I drew inexorably closer, sword already poised to skewer the girl right through her face. She was conveniently on her knees, having collapsed to fetch her object of power.


    Such was my elation that I failed to notice the struggle on the other mage¡¯s face. The man hesitated, but then his barrier fell, reforming instantly as a bubble around himself and the girl.


    As soon as the shield was gone, the flames leapt forward, blazing through the group of knights. None of them could do a thing to stop their deaths. Their screams as the fire consumed them were so terrible that I almost faltered in my self-assigned mission.


    I pressed on.


    Despite the barrier spell in my way, despite the flames drawing ever closer, I was desperate to succeed. The key to improving my future was right in front of me, finally within my reach. I put all my ambition and desire into the sword as I brought it down on the golden glow surrounding the two mages.


    And the barrier faltered.


    I¡¯m not sure whose shock was greater as my sword smoothly cut through the spell, popping it out of existence. Regardless, the consequences were lethal. The man gasped and clutched at his chest, his face pale and stricken, while the girl got a solid foot of steel through her face.


    I immediately felt something pass through the blade, through my arms, and squirm through my chest before it slipped into the bag at my hip, making the bag just a fraction heavier.


    Unfortunately, with the barrier eliminated, there was nothing left between me and the oncoming wave of infernal flames.


    Oh. I didn¡¯t really think about that. But I¡¯ll take it as punishment for what I just did.


    That was my last bitter thought before my world became agony.

 Chapter 20: Consequences

    The flames were nearly a sentient thing as they consumed the street. They turned the knights into charred husks of molten metal within seconds. Then they licked across the stone, liquefying it and instantly reducing any bits of wood or straw to ash. This was infernal fire, as inescapable as it was brutal.


    And I had just stolen a kill from the demon controlling the flames.


    Apparently, he found this act objectionable.


    The flames swirled over the mages, and then they were upon me. My sword instantly heated up to a temperature that would have melted any mortal blade, but I didn¡¯t even have a chance to drop it before the fire covered my outstretched arms.


    Then, I didn¡¯t have the capacity to worry or even think. The agony was overwhelming. My nerves should have been incinerated on contact with the flames, but somehow, I could feel every inch of the burning across my skin.


    Were I some sort of hero or tough guy, I might have been able to resist the urge to scream. But I wasn¡¯t. My voice rose as high and loud as any of the demon¡¯s other victims. Even after it broke, I kept trying to scream as my throat filled with blood.


    ¡°Pathetic.¡± The snarl was a shock, both in the way it cut through my thoughts and because I still had thoughts it could cut through. ¡°You steal a soul from me, and this is what you¡¯re reduced to? Just because of pain?¡±


    The voice was insistent. It wouldn¡¯t leave me alone to shrivel up and disappear into my suffering.


    ¡°Stop whining, you fool, and get back to work.¡±


    A foot dug into my chest. It forced the breath from my lungs and sent my body rolling away. This was actually a huge help. After all, I didn¡¯t think I had a chest anymore, let alone functional lungs inside of it.


    Slowly, like I was waking up from some horrible nightmare, awareness returned to me. My everything was dominated by pain, but at least I could begin to separate myself from the unholy agony and figure out how to function again.


    The first sense I focused on was my sight. Again, yay! I still had it! But it was blurry and confusing, at least until I realized I was surrounded by smoke. The gray cloud stung my eyes, made every breath an exercise in futility, and rendered my sense of smell pointless. My hearing was relatively useless too, both because my ears were ringing and because there wasn¡¯t much to hear other than crackling flames and distant screaming.


    Then came touch, and oh gods unholy did I regret still having my sense of touch. My nerves were burning, figuratively and literally. Still, this was further proof that I was still alive.


    Better, touch was the key to unlocking my ability to move.


    My fingers twitched. This sent fresh levels of hell racing through my body, but it meant my hands were operational. I forced myself to search the ground around me until I brushed against something. Gripping it as strongly as I could, I brought it up to my face.


    A book.


    Not what I was looking for. But I resisted the urge to drop it, my brain sluggishly dragging up the image of the mage I had killed, clutching this book to her chest. I held it in one hand and used the other to resume my search. After a few agonizing moments, my groping fingers closed around the object of my desire: the Legacy soul blade of Lethaniel Hall.


    After that, all I had to do was crawl quickly out of the flames. I almost failed. The smoke was cloying, and whatever air I was forcing into my lungs didn¡¯t exactly contain much oxygen. By the time I got far enough away to draw a fresh breath, I was well past ¡®woozy¡¯ and nearly into ¡®comatose¡¯ territory.


    I managed another few yards, then let myself collapse. I couldn¡¯t go any further. It wasn¡¯t a matter of will. My body was simply reduced to a quivering mess. Physical shock battled with mental shock, and I honestly couldn¡¯t tell which was worse.


    I had done a lot I wasn¡¯t proud of since being thrown into Hayden¡¯s body. I had also willingly put myself into wildly dangerous situations. Not once, however, had I gotten as close to death as I did in those flames. Not once had I been so completely reliant on the whims of another to spare me because that¡¯s what the demon ultimately did.


    That was the only reason I was still alive.


    Disgust and resentment swirled inside my chest. I curled up on the ground, pressing my face into the rough stone as I fought against the rising tide of despair.


    Never again.


    Over and over, I forced the words to ring through my head, drawing my ragged breath into their determined cadence.


    Never again am I going to let someone have that much power over me.


    I knew I was lying to myself.


    I was a human soldier in an army full of demons. By the very definition of my status, plenty of people had power over me. Every last one of my infernal compatriots could squish me out of existence. That was the unavoidable truth.


    I ignored it. I gave myself wholly over to my new mantra, letting the words fill me with a desperate strength.


    Never again. Never again.


    Eventually, I was able to drag myself over to a building and lean against it. Only then was I ready to assess the damage.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    First, because it was both the easiest and the most urgent, I inspected my sword. I had to blink a few times before I believed what I saw. The implement of murder looked untouched. No char marks marred the blade. No melted bits from the heat. I expected to find traces of skin from my palms seared onto the hilt, at least, but¡­ nope. Nothing.


    Next, I turned my attention to my hands. They were in much worse condition than the sword. Still, the sheer fact that I had them was a blessing.


    How could I even begin to describe my arms? My skin was¡­ well, it mostly wasn¡¯t there. It was all just a mess of red patches that bled into oddly white, spongy flesh and charred black spots, and cooked meat, and¡­


    I collapsed onto my side and emptied my stomach violently. Several times.


    I wasn''t sure how long the retching and shivering and senseless twitching went on, but I did eventually manage to get away from the mess with only a few flecks sticking to my face and clothes. I almost went right back to it when I noticed how much of what I threw up was blood.


    I couldn¡¯t afford to fall apart. Not now.


    Assessing the depth of the damage wasn¡¯t working out well for me. Instead, I tried to focus on the breadth. How far across my body did the destruction extend? On that front, I had far better news. Somehow, the demon had controlled the spread of his flames so precisely that only my forearms were ruined.


    Granted, it felt wrong to describe any part of this situation as ¡®only¡¯, but at least my whole body wasn¡¯t a burned wreck.


    On that subject, I was shocked by the fact that my hands were still working. Using them hurt worse than anything short of the Absorption Station, but I could hold things. I could even force my mangled fingers to work with some level of dexterity.


    I chalked it up to demonic magic nonsense and just chose to be happy that I wasn¡¯t entirely helpless.


    More to distract myself than anything, I turned my attention to one of the two prizes I got out of the mess.


    The mage¡¯s book was, like my sword, untouched by the destructive power of the flames. It was a fancy item, glowing with its own inner light. The purple leather binding was embossed with runes and other arcane markings I didn¡¯t recognize. In the center of the cover was a large symbol, but whether it was another rune or a family crest or something else entirely, I couldn¡¯t tell.


    I also couldn¡¯t open the damn thing. It was like someone had glued the pages and covers together, making it impossible to use the book as anything other than a paperweight or a brick.


    Well, at least I had it. If nothing else, maybe I could sell it.


    In an ideal world, I would pick myself up after catching my breath. That I stood up, made my way deeper into the city, and claimed more souls to fuel my glorious destiny or whatever.


    I didn¡¯t.


    All I managed was to drag myself inside a house. Finding it blessedly empty, I just laid against the wall, right there by the door, desperately hoping for the pain to go away and waiting for some kind of sign that all the slaughter was over and done with.


    At least my positioning had some logic to it. I had my sword on my lap, and I had placed myself in such a way that I¡¯d be able to swipe at an intruder¡¯s legs before they would notice me. Hopefully. I knew I needed to deal with any potential combat quickly and decisively. Be it locals or other demonic recruits, if someone came across me in my wretched state and the fight dragged on, I was dead.


    Minutes or hours later, as I was starting to slip in and out of consciousness, it finally happened. My brand, somehow still visible on my ruined hand, started burning even worse than the surrounding skin. It filled me with a familiar urgency. Brushing my trembling fingers over it, I received the simple message:


    Gather.


    That was it. For all I knew, I was heading into more combat with the locals, or perhaps a bloodbath with other recruits. But it wasn¡¯t like I had a choice. I couldn¡¯t disobey the demons. Not yet. Not like this.


    I forced myself up, stashed away my weapons, and tried to exude some level of confidence as I walked towards the direction my command was tugging in.


    Very quickly, other demon soldiers joined me. Every last one wore a satisfied smile, and some were even happily chatting. They all had a relaxed look about them. It reminded me of people coming home after a long day of work and slipping into their coziest clothes before lazing around in bed.


    Except these were murderous monsters, gorged on the slaughtered souls of an entire city.


    Human demonic recruits were a far rarer sight. The ones I saw were in bad shape. I didn¡¯t notice many injuries as obvious or devastating as mine, but we all looked despondent and beaten. None of us could compare or compete with the demons, and now we unequivocally knew it.


    That begged the question: Why were we there to begin with? And why bother with human recruits at all?


    When we arrived at our destination, we found no answers.


    Only horror.


    Sergeant Wilhelmina was waiting in a large open square. Judging by the smoldering remains of stalls and carts, it was probably once a marketplace. Now our perky commander had filled the center with a mound of dying humans in absolutely wretched states.


    The humans were all alive. Their bodies had been pushed to the very edge of what was possible to endure while still being alive. But they were still alive. Demonic sigils were carved into their skin and the unholy runes pulsed in time with their agonized heartbeats.


    Demonic and mortal soldiers gathered around the edges of the square. We watched while Sergeant Wilhelmina flitted about the mass of bodies, carving new sigils and muttering in a quiet voice that caused ripples in the air. Gradually, I began to recognize the ritual. The sergeant was performing it a little differently, but the effects were starting to resemble what the general did to Fortress City 12.


    Once the last of the troops arrived in the square, the ritual reached a crescendo. The sigils pulsed with a sickening red light. The chanting grew louder and louder, joined by spectral voices.


    Then, finally, reality shattered and consumed the arrayed offering. A pulse of power rolled through the city, at once cleansing the streets of destruction and replacing those streets with something new and decidedly demonic.


    In the middle of the square, a tall black obelisk materialized, jutting up from the ground into the sky. It immediately began to ripple with purple light. Reality tore itself apart for a second time, and a portal popped into existence right next to the obelisk.


    Out of the portal emerged three figures. The general, our commander¡¯s sister, and a demon I found oddly familiar.


    Wilhelmina bound over to them, beaming and practically vibrating in place. ¡°Ha! I did it! Told you I would! I was first! The city¡¯s ours now, and ¡ª¡±


    The general drove a fist into the side of her face, cutting off her bubbly speech and sending her flying. The sergeant plowed through several demons watching from the sidelines and reduced a human recruit into a shower of meat, blood, and bones.


    Before she could stumble back, the general was right beside her. He swept the sergeant¡¯s feet from under her, then brought his foot down on her stomach. The sneer on his face as she screamed was a thing of darkness and absolute rage.


    ¡°What. Were. Your. Orders?¡± The demon growled out the words even as he ground his heel into her chest. ¡°Answer!¡±


    ¡°I¡ª I didn¡¯t¡ª¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t! Didn¡¯t what? Think?¡±


    The general released a wordless growl of discontent as he kicked the demoness one last time. Then he pointed at one of the demons under Wilhelmina¡¯s command.


    ¡°You!¡±


    The demon stepped forward, shrinking in on himself to the point where he almost looked as small as a human. I recognized him as Sergeant Wilhelmina¡¯s unfortunate aide.


    Looming over him, the general spat out a single word.


    ¡°Report.¡±

 Chapter 21: Distaste

    The General of the Legion of Torment was one scary demon.


    His anger coursed through the air, seeping into the bones of his troops and constricting our lungs. It was difficult to stay upright in his presence, let alone move or think.


    So I was more than a little impressed when Wilhelmina¡¯s aide managed to walk up to Naberius and speak calmly.


    ¡°Our commander had us set out shortly after troop designation was over. We collected our supplies, and then¡­¡±


    The aide had a dry, plain quality to his voice that made it slightly hypnotic. I couldn¡¯t feel any mana emanating from him, or any changes in my own mana¡¯s circulation, so I had to assume it was just his personal charisma at work.


    Whatever it was, it also seemed to work on the general. The terrifying demon slowly relaxed throughout the aide¡¯s long-winded report on everything the troop did after departing from Fortress City 12. He didn¡¯t get any happier, but he also didn¡¯t look like he was about to rip all of our heads off. That was an improvement.


    He did briefly seem like he would still kill us all, when the aide revealed that one of the city¡¯s mages had managed to send out a magical message before being slaughtered.


    When the story finally wound down, Naberius looked at our demoness leader with such obvious distaste that everyone flinched, as if ashamed to be associated with her in any way.


    ¡°So, let¡¯s see if I got this straight. You left Fortress City 12 immediately, despite the fact that you were ordered to hold for a unified sortie. You razed every village between your starting point and this¡­ city, despite the fact that it¡¯s common protocol not to touch small communities. And finally, you slaughtered everyone in this city, did not acquire any useful intelligence, and let them communicate to the rest of the kingdom that they¡¯re definitely under active invasion.¡±


    ¡°I¡ª We had a bet, for who¡¯d be the first to claim a city for themselves, and the villages are going to be useless anyway! And ¡ª¡±


    Wilhelmina was panicking, and hard. I couldn¡¯t blame her, not with the empty expression on the general¡¯s face.


    A slap rang out, and the demoness bent over, stumbling. Several teeth and a copious amount of blood came gushing out of her mouth.


    ¡°Useless?¡± he spat. ¡°That hasn¡¯t been decided yet. I know you passed your briefing with flying colors. Therefore, I know you were informed that small communities are always to be left alone in an invasion. Whatever we end up doing with a world in the end doesn¡¯t change that protocol, not that this world¡¯s ultimate fate has even been decided yet!¡±


    The demoness looked up at him piteously, but Naberius was apparently immune to puppy eyes.


    ¡°And this¡­ bet. Out of all the horrible, convoluted reasons someone could have for risking their hide and disobeying orders, this has to be the most stupid one!¡±


    ¡°But, I¡¯m not the only one to blame! My sister made the bet with me!¡± At this point, Wilhelmina was literally whining, and while her ability to recover was impressive, her intelligence was apparently not.


    The general scowled. ¡°Your sister would have been punished alongside you, if she hadn¡¯t immediately reported your insolence to me. She approached me immediately after the troop designation ceremony, but had to wait until I wrapped up an important meeting. In that time, you somehow managed to leave, and have been unreachable by scrying or any other means of communication. Why?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t want anyone to distract me,¡± Wilhelmina admitted quietly, no longer able to look Naberius in the eye.


    My attention, however, was fixed on her sister. It was extremely brief, so brief I might have imagined it, but for a moment, I could have sworn I caught sight of a smirk on the other woman¡¯s lips. It was a vicious, self-satisfying expression, and it sent chills down my spine.


    I looked away from her then, afraid she¡¯d catch me staring again like on the day of my designation. Suddenly, I was glad to be under Wilhelmina instead of her scheming sister.


    ¡°I¡­ genuinely don¡¯t know what to say.¡± Naberius stared at the demoness sergeant, more volatile emotions giving way to resignation. ¡°I assumed your lineage would leave you with some misconceptions about ¡®acceptable¡¯ behavior, but I did not think it would be this extreme.¡±


    That made Wilhelmina curl in on herself even further.


    ¡°It was a major victory for us when you decided to sign on, but even that¡¯s not enough to protect you in this instance. Sergeant Wilhelmina, you are hereby stripped of your rank until you prove you can be trusted in a position of command. Newly promoted Sergeant Glaustro will be taking your place.¡±


    Naberius motioned at the other demon that had accompanied him. The man stepped forward, letting his mace crash loudly on the stone pavement as he swept his eyes over the assembled troops.


    His troops now.


    Unfortunately, that was the moment I recognized him. I missed it at first, seeing as his red skin, large horns, and classic demon tail were a fairly common ¡®default¡¯ look for his species. He was also a lot cleaner than before. But that weapon, and the general lack of serious clothing¡­ yeah, there was no mistaking him.


    This was the demon who had complained loudly about my presence at the Apple Infernal inn.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    I fought down the urge to groan or react in any way. Maybe he wouldn¡¯t recognize me. I was just another human face in the crowd. I just needed to not do anything that would draw attention to myself.


    ¡°It is an honor to be put in charge of such¡­ efficient troops,¡± the inn demon rumbled, a smirk stretching his features into a cruel mask. ¡°I¡¯ll make sure your enthusiasm is better directed in the future.¡±


    Naberius nodded at that, then swept one last look over everyone. ¡°I¡¯ve wasted enough time here. Glaustro, you have your orders. Make sure you actually follow them.¡±


    With that, the general turned around and laid a hand on the obelisk. Another portal opened with a hum. The general herded the sisters through it first before following himself.


    Then we were alone with our new commander.


    ¡°Well?¡± Sergeant Glaustro¡¯s smirk didn¡¯t waver. ¡°Don¡¯t just stand there! Go celebrate, rest, train, whatever! You have three days. Two for the other troops to catch up to your progress, and another for the whole invasion force to organize the next push. Use the time wisely. Or at least as wisely as you can. You are dismissed.¡±


    Somehow, I knew exactly who he was disparaging with that last comment before our dismissal. Every time his gaze landed on a human recruit, his nostrils flared with disgust.


    Still, he hadn¡¯t noticed me yet. I hurried out of the marketplace. If I could get into the newly altered city, stay out of sight¡­


    Just as I reached the edge, relief coursing through my veins, I glanced back. From across the square, Sergeant Glaustro¡¯s disapproving eyes locked on mine.


    Relief turned to ice in my chest. Then a hand came down hard on my left shoulder.


    I squeaked and whirled around, expecting instant death-by-mace, only to find myself facing a frowning Bronwynn.


    ¡°What in all the layers of the Abyss happened to you, kid?¡±


    I pulled him into a side street and looked around hurriedly, confirming that neither our new commander nor the demon who had cooked me alive were around. Only then did I relax.


    ¡°Had a bit of a run-in with fire,¡± I confessed. ¡°I might have killed a mage when they were distracted by a demon attacking their troop?¡±


    The pink demon sighed, closing his eyes briefly. ¡°You stole a mage¡¯s soul from a demon? Why did you think that was a good idea, you idiotic child?¡±


    I winced, but said nothing to justify myself. How could I properly explain the panic spreading through my chest at the thought of being left behind, unable to progress or achieve anything, while still being thrown into bigger and riskier battlefields?


    He was a demon. By his very nature, Bronwynn could not die until he was slain within the Abyss. For him, this was a light excursion where he could accrue more souls and grow safely, with very few long-term negative repercussions. How could I expect him to understand?


    ¡°Forget it,¡± he snapped. ¡°I can tell you¡¯re thinking something stupid. Just¡­ keep your mouth shut, and follow.¡±


    He turned away from me and began stalking angrily down the street. Bewildered, I trailed after him.


    I had no clue what he wanted, or why he was bothering with me at all. However, I had noted one small change in our interactions. Somewhere along the line, I¡¯d gone from being a ¡®mortal¡¯ to a ¡®kid.¡¯


    I couldn¡¯t let myself think that the demon actually liked me. I literally couldn¡¯t. In a very real way, insecurity and fear prevented me from trusting him fully. Still, as he muttered angrily about mortal recklessness, I found myself softening that stance for the first time.


    Even as he walked and complained, Bronwynn kept a close eye on our surroundings and the unfamiliar stores that now dotted the city. Just like before, demonic businesses were suddenly everywhere, already promoting their wares.


    The demon finally paused when we arrived in front of ¡®Gale¡¯s Emporium of Salves¡¯ and barged into the shop. A beat later, he ducked his head back out and glared at me.


    I followed him inside the second time.


    It was a small, musty shop. Shelves lined the walls, filled with jars of every shape and size imaginable. I let my eyes trail over the jars as Bronwynn spoke to the shop owner, mostly tuning them out. I was exhausted and ready to collapse, but a part of me wondered if I could even fall asleep in my condition. Now that excitement and fear weren¡¯t racing through me, it was getting harder to ignore the burning pain again.


    It was a constant presence, and I was beginning to wonder if it would ever end. Suffering seemed part of my very being. It always had been, and likely always would be.


    Then Bronwynn was next to me again, hand solidly on my back as he pushed me out of the store. This time, when he started walking, he was far more sure of himself.


    ¡°Where are we going?¡± I asked.


    The question bubbled up on its own. My mind was too worn out to put a lid on my mouth.


    ¡°Just shut up and walk,¡± was the demon¡¯s eloquent answer.


    At least I didn¡¯t have to wait long for my answer. Not even five minutes later, Bronwynn grabbed the front of my armor and dragged me into a large building.


    It was a two-story affair, with large glass windows covered by thick curtains. The sign out front identified it as ¡®The Flighty Lover¡¯ but it wasn¡¯t until my demonic minder started chatting with a guy behind a bar counter that I realized the place was an inn. A thought about the inn¡¯s name and the circumstances I was in ran through my mind before I shoved it down.


    With a set of keys secured, Bronwynn led me up a flight of stairs to the second floor, then hunted down a pair of rooms directly opposite each other. He opened one of them, threw his stuff inside, then dragged me into the other.


    It was nowhere near as nice as the Apple Infernal, but the room was clean and warm, and it came with a small bathroom attached. The demon took me there next.


    That was when I started feeling concerned.


    ¡°Right.¡± Bronwynn nodded briskly. ¡°No easy way to say it. This is going to hurt.¡±


    The demon raised his hand. My eyes widened as claws popped out of his fingers. They looked wickedly sharp, and I definitely wanted to have nothing to do with them.


    I took a step back, only to bump into the sink.


    ¡°Um, what¡¯s going to hurt?¡± I asked lamely.


    ¡°Your arms? We need to do something about the¡­ mess.¡± He gestured vaguely, forcing me to look at them again.


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    There was still much to talk about with what was about to happen, but the demon clearly didn¡¯t need to explain himself. He just gripped my left wrist and placed it over the sink.


    What followed wasn¡¯t pretty, or painless. Bits of the leather shirt that my limited plate armor was attached to had fused to my skin. Not even I could begin to guess where the shirt ended and I began.


    As such, Bronwynn¡¯s work more closely resembled that of a butcher than a doctor. He worked ruthlessly, removing not only the leather-bits but also lots of my actual skin that had been burned into charcoal. There was nausea, there was blood, and there was a lot of whimpering. But when the demon was done, the wounds did look a little better.


    Then he pulled out a jar he must have purchased at Gale¡¯s Emporium of Salves and unscrewed it. It was filled with a pale green cream that smelled strongly of herbs. And I mean strongly. The smell was so cloying, I fought the urge to gag.


    I stopped caring about it the second the cream touched my burns.


    A blessed chill took hold of my arm, spreading numbness all throughout the limb. The demon didn¡¯t stop until I was absolutely slathered in the stuff and every inch of my burns was covered. Even then, the jar was still about half-full. I stood there, savoring the relief.


    My mind was still too weary to act as a filter. I looked from the demon to the jar, and back again, and then the question slipped out before I could stop it.


    ¡°Why?¡±

 Chapter 22: Mana

    I wanted to kick myself, but I was too weak. This demon had just spent time and money treating my wounds, and I¡¯d returned the favor with a nosy question. He could murder me with a single blow.


    Instead, he just sighed deeply.


    ¡°Are you going to keep standing there until you collapse, or are you going to come sit down?¡± Bronwynn said.


    Refusing to look me in the eye, he left the bathroom and made his way over to a chair placed next to a low desk. Naturally, I followed. For one thing, I did feel like I would pass out if I stayed on my feet. I was also holding out hope that my curiosity would be rewarded.


    Then I sat down.


    I was on the edge of the bed, not wanting to dirty the sheets, but I still could barely bite back a groan of relief. It felt so damn good to take my weight off my feet. Between that bliss and the salve-induced numbness now easing the pain in my arms, I wasn¡¯t sure how much longer I¡¯d even be awake.


    Still, if it meant getting more information out of Bronwynn, I was determined to hang on as long as possible.


    I cleared my throat.


    ¡°So¡­¡±


    I trailed off, not sure how to move things along. I was never the most socially adept person in the room, even before I died and got stuffed inside the body of a demon-trained child soldier.


    Thankfully, Bronwynn spoke.


    ¡°Listen, kid. I don¡¯t want you to mention what I did today, okay? I just¡­ just don¡¯t. I¡¯m willing to talk to you now and here, but if you ever bring it up again¡­¡±


    The demon stopped there, but the implications were clear. I didn¡¯t get the sense he would hurt me. But then again, he was a demon.


    I nodded. ¡°Okay. I owe you for everything. I won¡¯t say a thing.¡±


    ¡°Good. So, I guess I can tell you that¡­¡± Bronwynn paused. Took a deep breath. ¡°I wasn¡¯t always a demon.¡±


    I froze, then my eyes rapidly took in the man once more. I always wondered why he was so normal. He looked like a vaguely off-colored human with horns thrown in for fun.


    ¡°You were like me? A recruit? But how? Didn¡¯t you say you transferred in?¡± I asked in rapid succession.


    Again, the surge of questions didn¡¯t seem to offend the demon. Bronwynn just smiled and shook his head.


    But he looked so tired.


    ¡°I did transfer in. What, did you think that every human who joins the Abyss ends up in this one legion? There are plenty of legions out there. There are also layers of the Abyss that don¡¯t take part in war. I joined one of those. Wasn¡¯t even a fighter, just a logistics clerk. It took me a very long time to get enough souls to ascend, but I eventually did it.¡±


    There was so much I wanted to ask, but for some reason, only one question came out. ¡°What was that like?¡±


    ¡°Peaceful. The legions are the best places to earn souls, bar none. Especially this one. However, as you¡¯ve definitely learned by now, they¡¯re also the riskiest way of doing it. I wanted the souls. I didn¡¯t want to spend another thousand years just barely making progress towards the next rank.¡±


    I could understand that. Very recently, I had also resolved firmly to do whatever it took to climb the ranks within the legion. But that didn¡¯t stop the pang of bitterness rising in my gut. Bronwynn could have chosen peace. He had the freedom to stay safe in his office and take his sweet time. And he¡¯d still decided to come out here and kill people for their souls.


    I sighed, trying to swallow down the bitterness.


    I wanted to ask more. I wanted to know why he acted just like every other demon, strutting around and looking down on the other humans. But I couldn¡¯t. It felt too insulting. In the end, he did decide to help me. And even before that, he had caved and answered my questions. That was a bigger kindness than anyone else I had met.


    I got lucky. If I had picked a demon born and raised in the Abyss, they probably would have skewered me as soon as I approached them.


    It was a sobering realization.


    ¡°I can see you thinking. Be careful, you might give yourself an aneurysm.¡± Bronwynn chuckled. ¡°Listen, demons who ascend try to distance themselves from their origins. It¡¯s not prevalent in most layers or even legions, but there are demons out there who would target someone just because they¡¯re a mortal or used to be one.¡±


    ¡°I understand,¡± I assured him quietly. ¡°I promise I won¡¯t make trouble for you.¡±


    Sadness suddenly gripped me. I understood, plain as day, that I might have to limit my interactions with the man going forward.


    ¡°Good. Listen, kid, I know you can make it, at least if you start playing things smart. Killing a mage immediately after I told you that you need a way to gather mana isn¡¯t smart. I¡¯m not even going to bother asking how you managed to pull that off, just¡­ be careful, okay? You can lose everything far too easily out there. It might take you five or six invasions, but you¡¯ll get the souls and resources you need.¡±


    I nodded numbly, boggling at the sheer scope of what he was saying. Five or six? How long would I have to wait? Decades? It was easy for a demon to give assurances when they didn¡¯t have to worry about pesky things like lifespan.


    No, I realized then and there that I would continue taking risks. It was just too attractive. I was hundreds of souls richer than if I had played things safe. Judging by the weary sigh he gave, Bronwynn knew it too.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    Bronwynn continued, ¡°Guess I should stop wasting my breath on useless warnings. Anyway, you need to sleep, and I need to go. Is there anything else you wanted to ask me before we call things here?¡±


    My mind swam. I wasn¡¯t exactly in the best condition, and our discussion was just throwing me even further off-kilter. All the recent events swirled in my head, blending together into one collage of misery.


    ¡°Why are we worse than the demons?¡± My voice was a whisper, desperate and forlorn. ¡°The mortals? Why do they act worse than the demons are?¡±


    I didn¡¯t need to explain. I had seen it both in-person and through Hayden¡¯s memories. Demons just looked on in amusement while mortals committed atrocities. Rape, torture, and worse, all done by human hand. Frankly, for the locals, running into a demon was better than running into a mortal recruit.


    Bronwynn stared at me, his expression so blank that I didn¡¯t think he¡¯d answer.


    But eventually, he said, ¡°Because it¡¯s better for us to let you mortals rampage. Demons, all demons, feed on turbulent emotions. We all have the one emotion we favor and represent with all our being, but we can get something out of all of them.¡± He turned away, his voice quiet. ¡°Recruits are allowed to run wild, to do whatever they want, because it feeds us.¡±


    I sucked in a deep breath, caught between disgust and disbelief. Then I pushed on.


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t torturing the locals do just as well? Agony, fear ¡ª those emotions are valid too, right? I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve seen a demon really torture someone. And I¡¯ve definitely not seen a demon commit rape.¡±


    ¡°They are valid. Still, the emotions of perpetrators feed us better than the emotions of victims. As for rape¡­¡± For some reason, the demon seemed amused. ¡°We just have no reason to do something like that. Trust me, no mortal can compare to the incubi and succubi. If you ever experience those urges, I recommend giving them a try.¡±


    His voice definitely had a teasing lilt to it by the end, and if the demon aimed to distract me, he had well and truly done it. I could barely get my thoughts in order to say my goodbyes properly while he beat a hasty retreat from the room.


    Then I just sat there on the bed, dizzy and barely coherent. I held my arms up to keep them from touching anything. In the back of my head, I knew I needed to shower and then wash my clothes, but that would remove the cream from my injuries.


    Ultimately, weariness won out. I flopped over, shimmied until I could dangle my arms over the sides of the bed, and drifted off within seconds.


    When I woke up, I did so all at once. One second I was peacefully drifting in a sea of comfort and warmth, and in the next, everything from previous day surged back in and forced my eyes open.


    I found myself curled up in the middle of the bed, somehow tangled in the blanket so thoroughly that it took me a while to fight free of it. Once I had finally done that, I froze.


    I¡¯d been very careful when lying down to avoid contact between my injured arms and the bed, only to wake up bundled in a blanket-burrito. Yet strangely, I didn¡¯t feel any pain or even discomfort.


    Dreading what I¡¯d find, I let my eyes fall on my arms.


    My breath came out in a whoosh.


    Flawless. My skin was flawless, without any trace of injury. There wasn¡¯t even a mark left from the butchering Bronwynn had done to remove bits of leather and fabric fused to my flesh.


    Thinking of the demon¡¯s treatment naturally dragged my mind back to the jar of salve. I let out another whoosh of breath. Anything that produced such results couldn¡¯t have been cheap.


    I wasn¡¯t sure what to think or feel. Bronwynn had helped me so much that I¡¯d never be able to repay him. On one hand, I hated the sense of being so deeply in someone¡¯s debt. On the other, he had made it clear the day before that our association was best to be at a distance. He wasn¡¯t expecting the debt to be repaid. Friendship, or even companionship, was off the table.


    I sighed, then forced myself to start moving.


    The first thing I tackled was the bed. It was absolutely filthy, The salve had mixed with all the dirt from my skin and clothes to produce a truly foul mess. With that in mind, I prayed to whatever unholy deity there was that I could make it out of the inn before the proprietor got his hands on me.


    I definitely had to find somewhere else to sleep that night.


    I did what I could using the shower and a copious amount of hot water, but I couldn¡¯t clean the sheets and blanket without some serious effort and products that I had no access to. My armor and clothing were in a similar position. At least, thanks to whatever demonic magic produced unlimited hot water, I didn¡¯t have to take a cold shower after all that washing.


    When I finally left the room several hours later, I felt like a brand-new man. The bodily consequences of my misadventure were gone. I did need new armor and clothes, but I could still walk around in what I had for the time being.


    After all, I was hardly the only soldier sporting ripped or damaged clothing. Some demons even reveled in this type of ¡®fashion,¡¯ so I wouldn¡¯t stand out.


    My chat with the inn¡¯s proprietor was slightly awkward, given the state I was leaving his room in. But since I failed to mention that little detail, the awkwardness was completely one-sided, and he remained blissfully unaware of the devastation awaiting him upstairs. In fact, he told me I was entitled to a free breakfast and even gave me directions to the nearest Absorption Station.


    The fare was simple. A small roast, some delicious bread, and a plate of soup. But it was filling, especially since I couldn¡¯t remember the last time I had a proper sit-down meal.


    Then I was out of there, successfully escaping the proprietor¡¯s ire!


    I could have chosen to do some light shopping, to look for equipment or items that could help me like Bronwynn suggested, but I couldn¡¯t hold back my eagerness. I had risked life and limb to get my hands on a mana accumulation technique that was more effective than the Body Strengthening technique. Nothing was going to stop me from absorbing it as quickly as I could.


    Granted, even with my enthusiasm, my steps slowed as I approached the station¡¯s sphere of influence. It looked just as ominous as before, and the sight of recruits walking into it and vanishing was still creepy. A vague memory of unimaginable, fundamental pain stabbed through my soul.


    Of course, pain wasn¡¯t enough to hold me back.


    Not anymore.


    Crossing the threshold, I walked straight up to the torture chair. For the first time since killing the mage, I dared to open my bag (or purse, as Bronwynn called it) and dipped my hand inside.


    Finding the right soul was easy. Holding a regular ¡®basic¡¯ soul was eerie, but it didn¡¯t really awe me in any way. In contrast, even brushing my fingers against the mage¡¯s soul sent tingles up my arm, stabbing into my flesh.


    When I finally pulled the soul out, I saw a visible difference. This was truly a ¡®greater soul.¡¯ Its inner radiance was far more intense, it had many more facets than a basic soul, and the face trapped within it seemed animated, almost desperate to escape its confines.


    A jolt of guilt swept through me at that, but it didn¡¯t stop me. This is what I had to do. Taking a deep breath, I asked the space to appraise the soul.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.0268%">


    Clarinette Illsent


    Known Skills:


    Illsent Mana Accumulation (Greater), Mana Bolt (Greater), Mage Shield (Unskilled), Noble Bearing, Mathematics, Runic Engraving, Alchemy, Riding¡­


    Knowledge Base:


    Berlis (Superior), Kingdom of Beralion (Superior), Noble Etiquette, Local Commerce, Otherworldly Presence: Demons¡­


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Right there, at the very top of her skill list, was the technique I was so desperate to grasp. It was also clearly unique to the presumably noble house the girl belonged to, so I was hopeful that it would be a cut above what one could normally learn.


    With trembling hands, I put the soul into its slot.


    Then I fought back an urge to curse.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.0268%">Skill belongs to a greater rank soul. Required payment: one hundred souls of basic rank.</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>

 Chapter 23: Pushing Deeper

    I paid, obviously. I wasn¡¯t about to abandon my plan just because the absorption was expensive.


    Unfortunately, that was only the start of my suffering.


    This time, when I put myself at the tender mercies of the station, the pain was leagues beyond my first experience. My soul was figuratively and literally overwhelmed. The mage¡¯s memories surged in like a tide, drowning me under its sheer weight.


    I was a child, cowering before a stern-looking woman. She called herself my mother, but she never acted like one. I was barely old enough to form coherent sentences. My young mind reeled as the woman loomed over me, forcing me to learn how to move my mana.


    When I failed, she forced her own mana into my flesh to expedite the process. It was pure agony. I was left on the floor for hours afterward, none of the servants even willing to touch me lest they risk their mistress¡¯s displeasure.


    I was a teenager, desperately pushing my mana to cycle so I could follow the path prescribed by my technique. Despair weighed me down like iron chains. No matter what I did, no matter how hard I tried, I could never accumulate mana as quickly as my siblings could.


    There was something defective about me, my mother said. She hired healers to examine me. They agreed.


    My core was damaged. Cracked at some point in my childhood. No matter how much mana I pushed into it, the majority would always evaporate rapidly. My progress rate was crippled. I would never be able to meet the expectations placed on the scion of a duke¡¯s house.


    I was a young adult. Mana now cycled automatically into my body, but it wasn¡¯t enough. I stared numbly at the servants as they piled my belongings into a carriage which would take me as far away as my mother could manage. A posting in a minor town, where I could be forgotten.


    I got to keep my grimoire and some of my more valuable items. But I would have no more boosters, no more reagents, and no more magical aids. They¡¯d be wasted on a girl who barely managed to attain the lowly status of ¡®mage apprentice.¡¯


    My mother didn¡¯t come to see me off. She hadn¡¯t looked me in the eye ever since the healers gave their prognosis. My brothers didn¡¯t care. Only my sister stood at my side, sobbing as she clung to me.


    She would never be able to see me again.


    I was in a city under siege. Alarms suddenly rang out, meaning a section of the wall was breached. The old caretaker I had been assigned came to fetch me. He was ranting about demons and getting to safety.


    I knew about demons, of course. The invaders, the greatest threat to our world. But we had fortress cities and magical barriers to keep the threat at bay. The demons were supposed to be handled.


    Except they weren¡¯t. The demon shooting flames at our guards made that abundantly clear.


    There was a surge of mana behind me. I whirled around, spinning up my technique to prepare for a spell. A wild-looking man was rushing towards me. I needed to respond, but my shaking hands refused to cooperate. This wasn¡¯t a demon. It was a human.


    I fell to my knees, clinging to my mana accumulation technique for comfort, and then ¡ª


    I gasped awake, just in time to see the many tools of the station pull away from me. My head was ringing something fierce as fits of memories still struggled to push their way to the front of my mind.


    I groaned and shifted my shoulders, relieved to note that my back wasn¡¯t aching as much as it usually did. Seriously, what was the point of having breasts? The stupid things were only good for ruining my spine. My hands moved automatically to readjust the neckline of the one good dress I still owned and wore everywhere.


    I froze.


    I didn¡¯t wear dresses.


    And I definitely didn¡¯t have breasts to worry about.


    These were facts, no matter how much my jumbled brain insisted otherwise.


    I put my elbows on my knees, buried my face in my hands, and just focused on breathing. I tried to push away every thought other than how my body felt. The movement of my muscles. The sensation of my clothes against my skin. The pounding of my heartbeat.


    Gradually, I settled back into my own mind. Flashes of being the female mage still cropped up every so often, but I felt mostly anchored in reality again.


    ¡°I need to find a way to deal with this,¡± I said out loud. ¡°Why didn¡¯t I ask Bronwynn for advice on how to deal with this? I¡¯m a bloody idiot. Who asks about why demons don¡¯t commit rape instead of useful information?!¡±


    I let the rage take me. It was a far easier thing to deal with than my fracturing identity.


    Frankly, I didn¡¯t know how many more absorptions I could handle before they did irreparable damage to my head. More importantly, if absorbing a greater soul messed me up this much, what would happen if I ever managed to get my hands on a superior one? Would I lose all sense of my identity and just become the person I had taken the soul from?You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    I didn¡¯t like the idea, especially since it bore a scary resemblance to what had happened with me and Hayden. In fact, what guarantee did I have that I wasn¡¯t actually Hayden, just mind shattered and altered by the process of induction into the legion?


    I knew nothing about that induction process. Did it involve souls? Was ¡®I¡¯ a soul used during Hayden¡¯s induction? Had my memories been shoved into a sixteen-year-old, and then subsequently consumed him? What did that mean for my soul? Whose soul was even having these thoughts?


    Who was I?


    I felt like I was going to puke. Unknowingly, I had bent over so far that my head was nearly between my knees.


    I tried to focus on breathing again. Just a deep breath in, then a deep breath out. A calming cycle that would help me maintain a grip and not break down into teeny tiny little freak-out pieces.


    It didn¡¯t work as well as I might have hoped, but it did help me push away all my doubts. I put them in a drawer deep inside my mind, stuffing them back in each time they tried to tumble out.


    There wasn¡¯t time for breakdowns. I was only halfway through my task. Now that I¡¯d claimed my kill and paid my dues, I needed to learn how to use the technique I¡¯d absorbed.


    Getting started was challenging, but only because I kept having to stop and disentangle Clarinette¡¯s sense of self from my own. Once I managed that, at least most of the way, sinking into the oddly meditative mindset was easy.


    In a way, the technique was similar to what I was doing already. I was used to drawing on the mana in my environment and channeling it through my bloodstream with the Body Strengthening technique. Once gathered in my heart, mana would spin for a few cycles, becoming somehow more ¡®mine.¡¯ Then I could direct it to the right destination for my current needs.


    The accumulation technique I absorbed from Clarinette was based on this foundation, with one key difference. I still drew in the mana and sent it through my blood to form a spinning cyclone in my heart. But once the mana was there, I needed to keep it trapped instead of spreading it to my muscles. To do this, I had to purify the mana and then change its ¡®state.¡¯


    For a beginner, this would be hellishly difficult. The user had to learn not only how to manipulate mana, but also how to exert enough will to alter it.


    The first step was what Clarinette had struggled with at the onset, until her impatient mother lost it and forced the whole process for her. That force had given Clarinette a mana core that barely felt like hers, and which was cracked to boot. Thankfully, the absorption of all these experiences meant I would never need to fear such difficulties.


    The station¡¯s space was ridiculously thick with mana. Gathering heaps of it into my chest took trivial effort. The spiral fought to spread and escape the confines of my heart, but I kept it contained with contemptuous ease. All thanks to my training. Clarinette¡¯s training.


    Soon, the spin of the mystical force shifted. In the center of the spiral, motes began to change from something like water or vapor to a solid. Bit by bit, those solid specks stuck together, growing larger until a polished marble of mana sat within my heart.


    Well, ¡®within¡¯ was a bit of a misnomer. Mana wasn¡¯t a physical force. It flowed all throughout the earth, permeating every element and substance. Even the prevalent method of using one¡¯s own bloodstream to channel it was technically superfluous. It was simply what came naturally to most mortal species.


    Linguistic issues aside, I now had a pearl of mana that overlapped with the same physical space as my heart. The pearl was rather small, barely the size of a marble, but it was there.


    Better still, Clarinette¡¯s memories had allowed me to form that pearl out of incredibly pure mana, something that a beginner would find extremely challenging. So instead of having to purify my core further, all I had to focus on was growing it and adding more layers to it.


    ¡®Purity¡¯ of mana was a funny topic though. Other than elementalists who were focusing on a particular element, most mages just collected all mana in the environment around them. This left it ¡®tinged¡¯ by the elements floating around, so the mages had to purify the mana further by painting it in their own ¡®hue.¡¯


    Not only was my mana pearl fairly pure already, but the station¡¯s mana came pre-painted with the red tinge of the Abyss¡¯s influence. Apparently, this was exactly the hue my internal mana wanted to be.


    The implications of this would have worried me if I wasn¡¯t already set on becoming a demon.


    Just in case, and with rising hope, I peeked at my ascension progress. To my great disappointment, it hadn¡¯t even budged from one percent. There went my dream of progression through ascension without paying souls.


    Still, the accumulation technique wasn¡¯t pointless. I could already feel the benefits. Mana was now always streaming passively into my body, without me having to do a thing. None of it streamed into my core, but it did slowly ¡®fill up¡¯ my system, seeping into my muscles, bones, and even skin. This constant presence of mana would nourish my body and, presumably, my soul.


    Of course, the amount of mana circulating through my system could only ever be equal to the density of my mana core. In a few days, this process would hit a hard limit, and I would need to significantly increase my mana core density to kickstart it again.


    For lower ranked mages, the benefits of this effort honestly weren¡¯t all that big.


    My freshly created core meant I could now count myself an ¡®apprentice¡¯ mage. I could hope to see marginal improvements to my endurance, and that was about it.


    When an apprentice progressed to the official ¡®mage¡¯ rank, their body grew slightly tougher, and their soul was ¡®enriched.¡¯ This trend continued until a mage hit five layers and graduated to ¡®Grand Mage¡¯. Only then would they see true improvements in the condition of their body and attain a lengthened lifespan.


    This was all mostly irrelevant to me. It was a small relief to know that I could theoretically extend my lifespan with mana and buy myself more time to ascend, but I didn¡¯t think I would live all that long if I withdrew my focus from acquiring souls. Besides, once I was a demon, I¡¯d be effectively immortal anyway.


    For regular humans though? Definitely the biggest appeal of any mana practitioner path.


    What I didn¡¯t understand was why strong mana practitioners turned into stronger demons. Was it just the density of their mana? Was it their ¡®greater¡¯ souls? If the latter, would a non-mana-practicing mortal born with a powerful soul turn into a stronger demon than an average mana practitioner?


    It was a fascinating train of thought. But if I didn¡¯t have time for breakdowns, I definitely didn¡¯t have time for deep inner philosophical debates. My survival was on a deadline. So, after limbering up a little from my long sojourn in the torture chair, I left the station and headed out into the city.


    I had only two days to prepare before my masters pushed me deeper into the kingdom.

 Chapter 24: Demonic Might

    Two hundred and twenty-eight souls.


    The number was impressive. Each and every soul represented an actual person, robbed of their life in this world and the next. A captured soul had no chance of eternal contentment. A collection of souls was a momentous thing, impossible to treat with callous disregard.


    So a part of me was damn well pissed that I was using this collection of two hundred and twenty-eight souls to haggle over healing potions priced at twenty souls a pop.


    Because, apparently, they¡¯re a ¡®luxury¡¯ item.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t want my wares, then just die and lose your souls anyways!¡± the demon alchemist snapped, snarling at me after I tried for the fourth time to bargain him down. He was a hunched-over creature with puke green skin and the kind of face that just begs to be punched. ¡°I don¡¯t adjust the prices of my wares on the fly. The prices are marked right there!¡±


    He pointed at the various label-bearing vials. Indeed, they were priced to exacting detail. Each and every vial had its own label and relevant cost, broken down by the ingredients, effects, and quality of each potion.


    It also meant I could see clearly that the healing potion he was trying to sell me for twenty souls was made of materials that cost only two.


    Sure, if the potion¡¯s promised specs were true, it could pretty much drag me back from the brink of death, so long as I had all my parts. But still! He was definitely overcharging me in the name of skill, just because he was supposedly a ¡®master alchemist.¡¯


    Unfortunately, I didn¡¯t have much choice in the matter.


    I had asked every friendly-looking demon I could find about potion shops. Somehow, whether through lawful or less friendly means, this shop had managed to claim a complete monopoly on the market. If I really wanted potions, the vomit-colored sleazebag behind the counter was my only option.


    I really, really wanted to punch him.


    Even worse, I kept remembering what Bronwynn told me about demons feeding on mortal emotions. Judging by the smirk on the alchemist¡¯s puke green face, he probably knew exactly what I was feeling, and was savoring every last exquisite drop of my helpless rage.


    I had to find some way to learn more about demonic abilities. Especially their limitations.


    But for now, it was time to move on.


    ¡°Fine,¡± I growled. ¡°Just¡­ I¡¯ll take one of them. Have the souls.¡±


    I threw the twenty souls on the shop¡¯s counter, snatched up my potion, and stomped away. Twenty lives for one measly potion. Thanks to Mr. Vomit and his racket, I only left with a single vial. At least the vials were specially treated. According to the alchemist, they were nearly impossible to break. That was something.


    Carefully stowing the precious thing in my pocket, I headed for the next stop on my shopping list: an armorer.


    I found the sprawling shop with no trouble. Then I just stood there, awed by the gleaming array of armor carefully arranged in the windows, feeling my hopes drain away. I saw more than a few pieces I wanted for myself, but the glowing red lines, sigils, and runes that adorned every item on display suggested I¡¯d never be able to afford it.


    Things didn¡¯t get better when I walked in and talked to the blacksmith herself.


    The woman was tall and impressively muscular, even for a demon. A true vision of power, if you will, especially surrounded by her mysteriously glowing armors. Her curling ram horns gleamed like polished metal, and her orange skin gave off the illusion that it was made of dancing flames. Her wings constantly stirred behind her, and she had a long, sinuous tail that she kept tucked around her waist like a belt.


    She caught me staring at the tail in confusion as soon as I walked in, and sent me a saucy wink as a reward for my rudeness.


    ¡°I have to keep my tail like this while I work around the forge,¡± she said, leaning against her counter as I blushed furiously. ¡°When I started out, I almost burned it to a nub four times before I learned my lesson.¡±


    That stopped me in my tracks. ¡°There¡¯s fire hot enough to burn a demon?¡±


    The demoness scoffed playfully at my wide-eyed disbelief. ¡°Of course. You¡¯re making a mistake if you think all demons have an affinity for fire. There are demons like that, and I am one of them, but still, when you mix magic and fire, no casual resistance to flames will protect you for long.¡±


    ¡°Do I even want to know what flames like that would do to me?¡±


    ¡°Nope. No. Definitely not. If you were ever unlucky enough to even brush against those, or stand too close to them, you¡¯d instantly combust into nothing. And by that, I mean even your soul would be burned.¡±This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    I looked at her tail again. She¡¯d burned it four times, and there it was. Pristine, char-free, and wholly functional. It was a blatant display of just how powerful demons could be, and a sobering reminder of how fragile humans were.


    Especially true after my recent scorching.


    ¡°Hokay,¡± I said. ¡°Well, as¡­ fun¡­ as learning about that is, I do need to get some armor. Preferably outfit myself entirely, but I¡¯m not going to complain if I can just get a chest piece and some decent arm protection.¡±


    The demoness hummed in thought as she swept her eyes over me, and I squirmed at the close scrutiny.


    I wasn¡¯t sure when or how it happened, but demons had moved from ¡®monsters¡¯ to ¡®people¡¯ on my social interaction freakout scale. As such, I was fully capable of appreciating how attractive the demoness was, especially with her breasts straining against her tunic and leather apron. And, well, I was in the body of a sixteen-year old, freakishly mature-looking or not.


    She must have picked up on exactly how I felt about her close inspection because her smile took on a decidedly more teasing edge before she sighed and squared her shoulders. Considering her size, this motion could have been intimidating. But instead, she genuinely looked like she was preparing to get yelled at, which confused me on so many levels.


    ¡°Listen¡­ You probably asked around for an armorer right? And most people you asked sent you here?¡± I nodded, and she sighed again. ¡°Fair. You see, I¡¯m known for quality. So, if you made any mention of wanting that, this is where you¡¯d end up. Unfortunately, I don¡¯t think I call sell you anything.¡±


    I didn¡¯t know what to say to that. She didn¡¯t strike me as someone who¡¯d deny me just because I was a human, and she did seem sincerely sorry.


    This was proven true when she rushed to speak again.


    ¡°It¡¯s not because you¡¯re a human! Well, I mean, kind of? I¡¯m not trying to be rude but there¡¯s no nice way to say this, so I¡¯ll just say it: you can¡¯t afford anything here. This is a shop catering to legion demons. They have solid pay, and they look for quality pieces. So, everything here is made of premium materials and enchanted to the best of my ability.¡±


    I licked my lips, taking in the room again. Sure enough, every last item did look like a cross between a piece of art and a cosplayer¡¯s wet dream.


    ¡°Just out of curiosity, how much does your cheapest set of armor go for?¡±


    ¡°Cheapest set? That¡¯s chest piece, helmet, shin guards, arm guards, and reinforced clothing to go under them. At the very least? Around five thousand souls, give or take.¡±


    I almost combusted right there out of sheer embarrassment. Mumbling an apology, I tried to beat a hasty retreat.


    To my surprise, a heavy hand caught the back of my armor before I could flee the shop. A shadow loomed over me, so I leaned my head back. I flushed even harder as the back of my head met the demoness¡¯s chest.


    ¡°Hold on a second,¡± she laughed, her surprisingly warm breath washing over my skin. ¡°I said I can¡¯t sell you anything, not that I can¡¯t help you. Also, you should stop acting so cute. At least for another couple years. If you were a little older, I¡¯d have eaten you up!¡±


    It didn¡¯t matter that I was in my late twenties in my previous life. That particular lifetime of memories did not, in any way, equip me to deal with a giant flirting demoness. I was a stammering mess as she dragged me back to her counter and then past it, through a door in the rear wall and down a hallway.


    Interestingly, the second we walked through the door, the sound of hammering picked up. One second there was nothing, and the next it rang in my ears like I was standing right next to the source of the cacophony.


    The demoness raised her voice to be heard as she guided me down the hallway. ¡°You see, I don¡¯t have anything in my shop of sufficiently poor quality that I could justify selling for a low price. However, I do have a daughter! And before your mind goes off into the gutter, this is only relevant because she wants to be an armorer. She needs practice to achieve that, and her results are still nowhere good enough to be featured in the store. Might fit your needs, though.¡±


    That info was enough to pull me fully away from my embarrassment and let me pay attention to my surroundings.


    The hallway was chock-full of shelves, floor to ceiling on either side. I couldn¡¯t even see the walls. All the shelves were packed with more wooden boxes than they should have been able to support, each container overflowing with ore, tools, and even finished armor. The demoness charged ahead, unconcerned about the precariously sagging shelves. Our destination was at the far end of the hallway, where the flickering dance of light and shadow hinted at a massive fire.


    Sure enough, when we emerged through another door into a massive workshop, I saw flames blazing away in an open-air pit that defied everything I knew about forging setups.


    Next to the pit stood a young demoness. Though a bit smaller and a lot less muscular, she resembled the shop¡¯s proprietor so closely that they could have been clones, rather than mother and daughter.


    She looked up as we entered, taking in first me and then her mother with obvious confusion. ¡°Mother? What¡¯s going on? Do you have a custom order already?¡±


    ¡°I just wanted to do an introduction!¡± the demoness boomed with a smile as she pushed me forward. ¡°This is¡­ uh¡­. Who are you again?¡±


    ¡°Hayden. Hayden Hall,¡± I managed, clearing my throat to avoid laughing. I even offered up a charming smile, or at least what hopefully passed for one.


    I did get a tentative smile back, so I counted it as a win.


    ¡°Hayden! And this is my daughter, Yules, the aspiring armorer I told you about. You see, Yules, this fine young man here has a problem. He needs armor, and he doesn¡¯t exactly have the funds to acquire it in my store. He¡¯s here though, and I thought to myself that it would be a fine opportunity to find a home for some of your pieces!¡±


    Yules didn¡¯t seem upset by the suggestion. She did, however, flush and look around in a panic. ¡°You want me to sell him my armor? But I¡¯m not ready for that! Everything I¡¯ve made so far has been, I mean¡­ you know!¡±


    The shop owner finally released me. Stepping forward, she hugged her daughter, then mussed up her hair for good measure. ¡°Stop being so critical of your own work! Besides, if your armor was any better, he wouldn¡¯t be able to afford it. I don¡¯t mean that as an insult.¡± She shot me a reassuring, if slightly guilty, look. ¡°It¡¯s just facts. So, how about you talk to the young man and see if you can work something out?¡±


    Yules took a deep breath and then squared her shoulders in a way that made me smile. She really was a mini version of her mother.


    ¡°Okay. I can do this. Okay. Just a customer. My first customer.¡± She faltered briefly, but then shot me a smile as dazzling as she could make it, even if it had a brittle edge. ¡°Now, let¡¯s get you some equipment, shall we?¡±


    Really, I could do nothing but nod my head.

 Chapter 25: Demonic Goals

    The daughter of the armorer, Yules, was a curious sight as she bumbled around her workplace, snatching up various tools and stuffing them into the surprisingly deep pockets of her apron.


    ¡°Okay! Now, come here. Stand right about¡­. here.¡± She maneuvered me into position in the middle of the room. ¡°My mother doesn¡¯t have to do this. I swear she just looks at a customer and knows exactly the right size of armor they need, but I¡¯m not there yet.¡±


    What I found so surprising about Yules was just how normal she was. Even with other friendly demons, there was this sense of otherworldliness that threw me off every single time. A feeling that they were more than what met the eye, beyond what my mortal senses could perceive.


    But Yules? She was exactly what she appeared to be: an enthusiastic armorer apprentice, happy with her life.


    ¡°Do I need to do something special?¡± I asked. ¡°Or should I just stand here?¡±


    She assured me quickly, ¡°No, no, just relax. I¡¯ll tell if you need you to stretch or hold in any position.¡±


    Yules began the long, meticulous process of measuring me with a tape ruler. She took the length of my arms, my chest, my shoulders, the distance between my shoulders and hips, and the size of my feet. In a move that made me flush, she measured the length of my legs. From there, she got me to take up several fighting stances, carefully noting the way my muscles and limbs stretched and moved in those positions.


    She didn¡¯t write anything down, but with the self-satisfied smile on her face, I couldn¡¯t bring myself to question her. It didn¡¯t help that she was cheerfully whistling some tune I didn¡¯t recognize, and that she was absolutely adorable.


    Did I have a thing for muscular demonesses unafraid to wear their heart on their sleeve? Perhaps the answer was yes.


    This was not a revelation I needed on this particular day, especially when I was still struggling against occasional flashes from Clarinette¡¯s life. Or Hayden¡¯s. No matter what urges I felt, how could I tell if they were really mine?


    Oddly, the reminder of how messed up I was did the trick of helping me fully relax.


    ¡°I¡¯ve got everything I need, I think,¡± Yules said after taking one final measurement of my forearms. ¡°Now, it doesn¡¯t really matter if I don¡¯t have any armor in your exact size right now. It doesn¡¯t take long to adjust the dimensions of pieces I do have. However, if you don¡¯t like the design or what I have on offer, I¡¯m going to warn you right now that you¡¯ll need to wait several days for me to forge something from scratch.¡±


    ¡°No, no, I¡¯m sure your work is impressive. We¡¯ll find something I like in no time. But¡­ um¡­ you do know that your mother sent me here because I don¡¯t have a lot of souls on me, right?¡±


    She paused, pursing her lips. ¡°How much do you have?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ two hundred and eight souls,¡± I admitted it with a heavy heart, wondering if she¡¯d tell me to get lost.


    Yules brightened, then frowned, then looked thoughtful, and finally landed back on a bright expression. Really, her emotions swapped so quickly that I could barely keep up.


    ¡°That¡¯s okay, then. I mean¡­ I¡¯m a little disappointed that you can¡¯t afford enchanted pieces, not even my own work, but if you purchase mortal rank items and agree to let me add my crafter¡¯s mark to the set, you have just about enough to cover the cost. How about two hundred souls for everything?¡±


    I was pretty certain she was taking pity on me, but that was not enough to change my answer. ¡°Done and done. I just need some armor, really, nothing fancy. I doubt they¡¯d let me fight any of the really powerful locals. Everyone¡¯s been itching for fights lately. And I know your work is going to be high quality, just from how enthusiastic you are about it!¡±


    The pretty demoness blushed, which was an odd yet lovely thing to witness. Red highlights appeared on her orange skin, making her look almost like a sunset. It was enchanting.


    ¡°Well, I do my best!¡± she said, leading me back into the hallway. She began pulling boxes from the shelves, talking the entire time. ¡°My mother¡¯s an amazing armorer, so I¡¯ve learned a ton from just watching her work when I was younger. When she started teaching me? It¡¯s been amazing so far, and I¡¯ve learned so much! I can¡¯t wait until I¡¯m good enough for her to feature my work in the shop.¡±


    Yules spent several minutes gushing over her mother, and I got to learn more than I strictly needed to about the woman¡¯s accomplishments. Apparently, she was one of the premier armorers in the Circle of Passion, which was meaningful in some way I was missing context for, and she was only doing the stint in this particular world for a couple of months as a break from her regular work.


    Eventually, Yules lifted a box to face-level and got a face-full of dust. I used the coughing fit that followed to squeeze in a question.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure if this is out of line, but how does the process of converting a whole city into a demonic haven even work?¡±


    ¡°Oh, that?¡± Yules placed the box back down. ¡°It looks more impressive than it is, really. Demons who are interested in doing some business on an invasion world just need to sign up. You can specify the level of world you want to be placed in, and how long you want to purchase a work permit for. The better craftsmen and shopkeepers get priority, of course. Especially in higher rank worlds.¡±


    ¡°How strong is this world, then?¡± I asked, trying not to let my hunger for information show in my voice.


    Whether I succeeded or not, the demoness didn¡¯t seem to care.


    ¡°Oh, about as weak as they come. If they don¡¯t find some unique resources or something like that, I hear this entire world is going to get scrapped.¡±Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    She spoke casually, distracted as she opened yet another box she dragged in from the hallway.


    I, on the other hand, froze in place.


    I could sort of understand what she meant when she said the world was weak. Not a single demon I saw in combat was struggling. Frankly, if my new demonic masters had any sense in their heads, a weak world is exactly where they should send fresh troops.


    More important, however, was the mention of ¡®scrapping¡¯ a world. There had been similar references in other demon conversations before. Obviously, I didn¡¯t know what exactly that meant, but you didn¡¯t use a word like ¡®scrap¡¯ if you had good intentions towards a world you were trying to conquer.


    Somehow, I didn¡¯t freak out and start demanding answers. Instead, I tried to go for an angle that might appeal to a craftsman. ¡°Unique resources? What¡¯s that like?¡±


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s just amazing!¡± the girl squeaked gleefully, shooting me a dazzling smile. ¡°One time, when my mother was taking a break from Passion, we got to visit this plane that was a whole world situated on the back of this gargantuan tortoise thing. Except it wasn¡¯t actually an animal, you know? And it was made up of this fascinating material harder than diamond, and ¡ª Aha! Here it is!¡±


    The girl¡¯s rant stopped when she found the box she was looking for. Proudly, she began to pull out pieces of armor.


    ¡°This is slightly older work of mine. But that doesn¡¯t mean it¡¯s bad!¡± she rushed to reassure me. ¡°It was just done using mortal materials. I¡¯ve moved on to slightly more challenging stuff since then, but this was the final armor set I made to prove my skill before I was allowed to advance my craft, and so I went all out on it! Here, check it out and then tell me whether you like it.¡±


    I watched as she laid all the pieces out on the floor. I could immediately tell that yes, I did like the armor.


    The whole set came in red and silver tones. The plate was made out of some silvery, gleaming metal that refracted light in a small rainbow sheen. Every piece of leather and fabric was touched up in a shade of red that somehow complemented the silver perfectly.


    The design was also appealing. The chest piece, for example, had a large clasp with a crafter¡¯s mark attached to the left breast of the armor. This meant the half-cloak secured to the clasp couldn¡¯t be used by an enemy to strangle the wearer. It also looked dashing, in my humble opinion, especially with the golden trim on the cloak.


    There were, however, two downsides to the set.


    The first was that it didn¡¯t come with any sleeves. Sure, leather was intricately worked into the underside of the plate, which made the chest piece very comfortable-looking. The impressive armguards would cover the entirety of my forearms, and they looked thick enough to double as shields if I needed to block. But my upper arms would be exposed from elbow to shoulder.


    The second downside was purely aesthetics. The armor came with a large, bulky belt that had plenty of pouches and attachments. I was instantly in love with that part. I was less fond of the way the belt resolved into something between a short skirt and a kilt. The leather pants would render the typical function of such a piece of clothing redundant, but the thought of wearing it made me feel a little awkward. Though, the way the layers of cloth folded and swept to my right hip, hanging a little longer on that side, was striking¡­


    The armor also didn¡¯t come with a helmet, but my old one was still perfectly serviceable, even if it would clash with the armor set¡¯s elaborate design.


    ¡°Well, what do you think?¡± Yules asked nervously, several long minutes of silence later.


    I tore my gaze away from the beautiful set and tried to gather my thoughts.


    ¡°Honestly? I love it. Still¡­ are you sure I can actually afford this? I mean, just the silver metal, whatever it is, looks pretty expensive.¡±


    The words came out reluctantly. I really, really wanted this armor. It looked leagues more comfortable than what I was wearing, and not just because I had stripped my current set off a corpse that wasn¡¯t exactly my size. There was simply a richness and quality to the materials in Yules¡¯ armor that spoke for itself.


    The demoness brightened. She looked about ready to hug me before she caught herself and coughed. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that one bit! As I said, all the materials I used were mortal rank. I did sneak some of my mana into the process, obviously, even though mom hadn¡¯t taught me how to do that yet¡­ but that doesn¡¯t really impact the price much!¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t? Because it sounds like it would.¡± I wasn¡¯t trying to argue myself out of a good set of armor, or at least I told myself that. There was just something so sincere and delightful about Yules. I would have felt like a scumbag if I took advantage of her.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t,¡± she assured me. ¡°Really. Besides, you agreed to wear an armor with my mark, right? Well, I¡¯ll add this to the deal: you have to promote my armor to everyone you know and anyone who asks! If I manage to get a couple of commissions and mom lets me work with the better materials, I¡¯ll have my armor out there in the shop in no time!¡±


    ¡°Ah, but then I wouldn¡¯t get to monopolize your craft,¡± I teased with a smile. Her reaction was well worth it, but I did feel the need to reassure her too. ¡°I¡¯ll do that. Anyone I know, or who shows interest in the armor, I¡¯ll send your way immediately.¡±


    Privately, I winced at how lopsided the agreement was. The only person I really knew was Bronwynn, and I doubted I¡¯d get to chat with him or recommend anything any time soon. Meanwhile, most of the demons in the legion seemed to consider actual armor as purely optional. I had seen far too many bare chests as the infernals launched themselves into battle practically naked, male and female alike.


    I sincerely hoped that was a Legion of Torment thing, and not the universal demonic approach. Then again, the shop Yules¡¯ mother ran was apparently popular, so that was a hint all on its own.


    ¡°Just try the armor on, please?¡± The demoness pushed the pieces towards me, ignoring the flush on her own cheeks.


    I complied.


    The size wasn¡¯t absolutely perfect, but it was already way better than what I had. Not that Yules was satisfied by that. She made me go through a series of exercises while wearing the armor, then practically undressed me herself afterwards. Oddly, there wasn¡¯t a hint of shyness as she did, just focus and beaming happiness in her work.


    She then turned into a whirlwind of motion as she went about fixing things up. The plate was carefully removed from the armor, heated up, and shrunk. The leather was expertly cut, and then nothing short of magic was used to put the pieces back together again. Each and every piece of the armor got meticulous attention. I was fascinated, barely aware of the time slipping past us while I watched Yules perform her art.


    When all was said and done, the armor fit me like a second skin. Every motion I tried to perform was effortless, the fabric and leather stretching easily to match the new positions of my body.


    If a demonic version of internet existed, I would have left a glowing five-star review.


    The young demoness was ecstatic, caught up in happiness over someone finally wearing her armor. She was so eager for me to show off her work that she began ushering me out the door without asking for payment. I had to dig my heels in and remind her to take my souls.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll make sure to promote your armor,¡± I assured her after she devolved into a stammering, embarrassed mess. ¡°You deserve nothing less! I never thought armor could feel so comfortable.¡±


    I gave Yules one more smile, and she rewarded me in kind.


    Her mother was watching us with a small smirk of her own. I exchanged a nod and a grin with the woman before I exited the store.


    If it weren¡¯t for her, I would never have gotten such solid armor. The best I could have hoped for was to pick up a few pieces to replace the damaged ones I had lost, and that would have probably wiped out my souls too.


    I resolved to come back one day. I wasn¡¯t sure when or how I¡¯d earn the souls to afford their actual work, but I would find a way.


    For now, I tried to content myself with the fact that I had managed to meet all my downtime goals. I had my new mana technique. I had new armor. And I even had a health potion if, or when, things went to hell in a hand basket.


    I was as prepared as I could hope to be.

 Chapter 26: A Conquered City

    While I was thrilled with my armor purchase, it did leave me with a problem.


    My purse now held a grand total of eight basic and five lesser souls. That had to last me two more days, until the next stage of whatever my demonic masters were planning kicked into gear.


    This was less than ideal.


    The big issue was lodging. A single night in the Apple Infernal cost five souls. My only hope was that Apple Infernal¡¯s undoubtedly fancy status allowed it to command a higher price than lesser inns.


    Fueled by this hope, I made my way back to the inn Bronwynn had checked us into.


    It took me several hours to find it. The Flighty Lover wasn¡¯t a particularly popular establishment, so even asking around didn¡¯t net me good directions. But my efforts paid off in the end. Instead of the five souls Apple Infernal demanded for a single night¡¯s stay, The Lover asked for a mere two, which included both breakfast and dinner.


    I wasn¡¯t worried about food. The rush my previous commander had imposed on her troops meant that we reached our destination long before our rations ran out. It was subpar food, but I could survive on it for another two weeks at least.


    That didn¡¯t mean I turned my nose up at the fare of The Lover. The food wasn¡¯t great, especially compared to the sandwiches that Apple Infernal provided to their early departing customers, but it was filling and tasted okay. That was more than could be said about road rations.


    I didn¡¯t feel any need to venture outside during those two days. I had no money to afford the indulgences on offer, so browsing demonic stores would have just left me feeling bad. Instead, I devoted myself to the Illsent Mana Gathering technique.


    This was rough at first. Every time I slipped into the technique, I had to fight off a plethora of visions that tried to claw their way up to the surface of my mind. I did, however, get better at suppressing them. They also seemed to grow weaker as I learned to use the technique in a way that was optimal for my body, rather than blindly trying to follow Clarinette¡¯s experience.


    I didn¡¯t make any big changes. Just simple variations to improve the mana flow through my larger cardiovascular system. Still, the more changes I made, the less grip the memories had on me.


    That allowed me to focus more on actual practice.


    Soon enough, I was able to speed the process of absorbing mana from the passive trickle to a proper pull, even while pacing around the room. My first couple tries, the surge of memories left me so distracted and loopy that I kept walking into the wall. But with repeated practice, both in the technique and in memory suppression, I got the hang of it.


    The progress did wonders for my sense of self. My fear of absorption¡¯s possible long-term effects gradually faded, replaced by cautious optimism about its potential.


    It was thanks to this new confidence that, when the third morning came and my brand began to sting, I was able to face the day ahead of me with hope. Granted, that hope did falter when I remembered it was Glaustro waiting for us in the marketplace, but he couldn¡¯t possibly be worse than Wilhelmina.


    Could he?


    When I arrived at the square, it was clear that the demonic members of my troop were pleased with the change of commanders. In fact, they seemed downright happy as they lounged around, relaxed and chatting. Even the aide who had suffered under Wilhelmina¡¯s leadership looked better, more like an actual person than a straw man about to collapse from exhaustion.


    Most of the humans in the troop appeared to share the demons¡¯ enthusiasm, though their manner was much more cautious.


    There were also a lot fewer of them.


    Of the two speedsters who had accompanied my rush into the fray, only the cat woman was present. A scar on the left side of her face hinted at the price she had paid for her survival. The human goliath was conspicuously absent, and he was not someone I would have failed to pick out in a crowd.


    Overall, by rough estimate, we had already lost about half the mortal recruits. Though the locals we had fought earlier were strong, they weren¡¯t enough to have taken down so many battle-hardened recruits. I was sure that if I went around asking, I would be told that our demonic allies had nothing to do with that.


    An emphatic absolutely nothing at all.


    ¡°What is this?¡± A voice boomed through the square, making all of us jump. ¡°I arrive at the meeting point to find you just milling about? Form up, you lazy idiots!¡±


    Our new commander was clearly was not impressed. His countenance only continued to darken when our rush to obey sent us devolving into chaos. It took over ten excruciating minutes to settle down, demons in the front and humans almost entirely hidden in the back. The sergeant had never insisted on tight drilling like this.If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    ¡°Is this the fabled Legion of Torment discipline? Is this what your previous commander had to work with? I have to say, I¡¯m hardly surprised she was demoted. For demons to take this long to organize? Disgraceful. And you, mortals, just what do you think you are doing?¡±


    What followed was a rant I lost track of halfway through.


    It didn¡¯t matter that all the human soldiers had managed to organize and line up within three minutes of his shouted order, while the demonic troops had floundered and almost broken into a scuffle.


    It didn¡¯t matter that the mortals never received a single piece of armor or proper equipment from our new overlords, and that we had to scrape together whatever we could find off of corpses.


    It didn¡¯t matter that many mortals had no supplies to treat their wounds, and that wehad all overcome a lot just to make it here alive.


    He had a bad word to say about everything.


    The speed at which we assembled? Pathetic, and a personal insult to him. The way we looked like a ragtag bunch of looters? Something he would apparently make us regret because we made him look bad by association. Our wounded state? A threat to the rest of the troops because how could he expect us to pull our own weight? If a demon tried to help a mortal, the mortal would obviously get the demon killed.


    That last argument made me want to laugh. The only demon who had ever shown the slightest interest in helping a mortal was Bronwynn, and even he was forced to draw a hard line about how much the rest of his demonic compatriots could be allowed to see and know.


    The only good thing I could say about our new commander was that he didn¡¯t kill anyone. Even when he caught one of the mortals gritting his teeth, the most he did was force the blue-skinned man to stand in front of the troops while he berated him.


    Still, Sergeant Glaustro did waste over half an hour on the mortals, listing all the reasons why we, collectively, were not worth even a fraction of what a single demon could offer to the legion. I couldn¡¯t exactly argue with him, having seen what a single demon could do. But anger still simmered in my chest.


    It wasn¡¯t wholly our choice to be there.


    Even knowing about Hayden¡¯s life and how happily he had signed up with the legion, I couldn¡¯t put the blame on him. If someone raised you, told you repeatedly that your only worth comes from fighting in a demonic army, and then you signed up to fight in a demonic army, whose fault is it? Yours, for doing as you were told? Or does the fault lie with the one who primed you for that decision?


    I couldn¡¯t voice any of this, of course. I just kept my face blank and took the verbal beating with my mortal comrades.


    Even our commander¡¯s vitriol had to expire eventually.


    ¡°Forget it,¡± he finally snarled, moving over to stand next to the obelisk. ¡°I¡¯ll end things here. Know, however, that I won¡¯t tolerate this kind of shit next time! Get yourselves together, or I will purge you from my army.¡±


    His army, I noted. Maybe he wasn¡¯t as reckless or as childish as Wilhelmina, but the man¡¯s pride was leagues ahead of the demoness.


    ¡°Because of the fuck-up you called commander for a while, the original invasion plan had to be scrapped. This means that troop placement had to be reshuffled for a more optimal march on enemy strongholds. In five minutes, a portal is going to open to our destination. You will pass through in a calm, organized manner, and you won¡¯t shame me in front of the other commanders!¡±


    Flames flickered suddenly on his mace, implying the consequences of failing to follow the order.


    True to the demon¡¯s words, the obelisk began to hum and distort five minutes later, and a rip appeared in the fabric of the world. Unlike the portal the general opened to kick off the invasion, this was made of swirling darkness. Dread sprang up within me.


    I didn¡¯t want to walk through this portal.


    The demons didn¡¯t seem bothered. They moved forward without hesitation. This wasn¡¯t exactly comforting, but I had to follow. I didn¡¯t want to be the one to invite the commander¡¯s wrath.


    I closed my eyes and stepped through.


    The sensation was odd. It felt like electricity was tearing through my being, but I didn¡¯t take any damage. If anything, I felt more energized when I opened my eyes to an entirely different city.


    The square we stepped into was smaller and more cramped than the one we had left, mostly because it hadn¡¯t been cleared. Stalls still littered its edges, letting demons hawk wares like choice cuts of meat and various fruits and vegetables. I couldn¡¯t tell which was which because the plants on display were unlike anything I¡¯d ever seen. In fact, as the troops walked past the stalls, I spotted a crate of roots with a myriad of eyes, blinking at the world around them.


    I tried not to recoil away from those in disgust.


    The meats on display were also alien. They came in a vast variety of colors, from red to purple to green and even a startling yellow I wanted nothing to do with. Clearly the demons did not share my sentiments because I noticed more than a few of the soldiers in my troop gazing at the meat with longing.


    Maybe it came from creatures within the Abyss? But¡­ doesn¡¯t that mean it used to be imps?


    My stomach churned with horror. I still had strong feelings on the subject of how demons treated lesser beings, especially knowing that even imps could evolve and become proper demons.


    But those disturbing thoughts were nothing to the sights that greeted me when we ventured deeper into city.


    Humans. There were live humans here, chained up and dressed in little more than rags, with collars around their throats. Some stood woodenly next to shops or stalls, accepting payments or handing out goods when the owners directed them to. Some were led around by their masters, hands laden with items and goods they were transporting.


    Some, though, were stuck in processions of twenty or more, led by merchants to stands where auctions were happening.


    My insides twisted further. I had to look away.


    I was not okay with it. There were something I could acclimate to. Like getting used to committing murder. It was a kill or be killed type of deal.


    But slavery?


    With Hayden¡¯s memories about the treatment of slaves flashing through my mind, I knew I couldn¡¯t do it. I would never be able to consign someone to that fate.


    No, I would much rather kill them on the spot than let demons place a collar around their throat. Even having a person¡¯s soul turned into a method of payment was a far better alternative. Far, far better.


    The auctioneer¡¯s voice droned on. I forced myself to keep my face blank, writhing in the helpless knowledge that I could do absolutely nothing to change things.


    For the very first time, I was in the middle of a fully demon-conquered city.


    And I didn¡¯t like it at all.

 Chapter 27: Exploration

    It¡¯s almost funny how much horror you can just choose to overlook.


    Shock, fear, and anger burned fervently inside my chest, but the further we got from the city center and its saturation of human slaves, the easier it got for me to push the emotions down. I could even trick myself into ignoring the few humans we still came across. I could pretend everything was just fine.


    I did so with all of my heart.


    To my relief, we moved fast through the city. Our commander refused to stop for even a moment. He was a force of nature as he marched his troops right through the crowded streets, heedless of any complaints from the surrounding demon citizens.


    I noticed most complaints fell silent when they caught sight of the troops, anyway. Demons who encountered us dropped their heads, pretending they were busy with practiced ease. Even the few who looked like tough combatants themselves did not seem keen to stand up to the legion.


    It was easier to focus on this mystery than on the misery around me, so I pondered it as I walked. What was it about this legion? Was its reputation really that generally frightening, even amongst other scary infernals? Or did all these other demons have some personal experience that made them think twice about crossing legion troops?


    With the speed of our pace, our commander¡¯s disregard for common decency, and this mental puzzle to occupy my attention, it didn¡¯t feel like long at all before we arrived at the city¡¯s wall.


    The scene revealed a tale of devastation.


    Most of the once grand structure was reduced to piles of rubble. Surprisingly, the demons had elected to simply leave the area in messy ruin. The full extent of their clean-up efforts was a single path burned through the wall¡¯s remains.


    We followed this path outside the city to our apparent target: a sea of tents, the entrance marked by a single banner waving in the wind. It depicted the snarling visage of a demon with jaws stretched wide open, revealing a swirl of flame within.


    ¡°Fucking show-off,¡± our commander growled angrily, his eyes fixed on the grisly banner.


    I wasn¡¯t sure what he was referring to, and honestly, I didn¡¯t care. I was too busy staring at the encampment. After everything else, I couldn¡¯t get over how orderly everything was.


    Tents were laid out in neat rows and clustered just far enough not to get in each other¡¯s way, leaving clear lanes for the soldiers to move between them. And the tents themselves¡­ a human emerged from one as we passed, flinching at the sight of us and holding the flap open behind him for a moment longer. This gave me a good glimpse inside his temporary home.


    I had to fight to keep my jaw from hanging open.


    A plush carpet for a floor. A full cot for a bed, complete with extra fluffy blankets. There was even a small foldable table.


    I wanted it. I wanted all of it, even though I could most definitely not afford it.


    As we ventured deeper into the camp, I saw that this human¡¯s luxuriously equipped tent was no fluke. Every soldier had a similar setup. Some demons¡¯ tents were even fancier. Apparently, this was just the standard equipment provided to this troop.


    It was all so entirely unlike anything my troop had experienced under Wilhelmina¡¯s command. I had a tent, sure, but it was a starkly functional thing fetched from a quartermaster. It most certainly didn¡¯t come with a carpet, and you could forget any mention of blankets, fluffy or otherwise.


    I shivered as I thought about my sleeping bag. All those weeks spent catching a few hours of sleep at a time, curled up on the cold, hard ground, exposed to the elements¡­


    It was in this rapidly worsening mood that we arrived at the center of camp. There, outside the biggest tent around, Glaustro was forced to *wait* while the local commander wrapped up a meeting with his advisors.


    I was very thankful that Glaustro had us humans marching at the rear of his formation because if I were closer to the front, I would have feared for my life. He looked ready to throttle the first person who looked at him funny.


    At long last, the curtain blocking access to the tent was pulled back. Out stepped the grumpy demon sergeant I was so afraid of getting assigned to on designation day.


    My commander started grumbling immediately. ¡°Graighast. About fucking time. Is this your idea of hospitality? Or should I take this as an insult and challenge you to single combat right here and now?¡±


    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t start.¡± In contrast to my new commander¡¯s tone, Graighast¡¯s voice was a displeased rumble. ¡°Just because it took this long for you to get promoted doesn¡¯t mean you have to nurse your pride like it¡¯s a fragile thing. I had things to discuss with my advisors, so I did it. I¡¯m not going to waste time on your idiocy.¡±


    Graighast was even more massive than Glaustro now that the two stood together, and looked like he could fold my commander in half if he wanted to. I was mildly surprised, and maybe even a little impressed, when Glaustro didn¡¯t back down.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    ¡°You can¡¯t talk to me that way!¡± he blustered. ¡°I will not tolerate you ¡ª¡±


    Graighast cut him off. ¡°Brother, shut up, or challenge me. Do one or the other, but I¡¯m tired of your nonsense already.¡±


    Silence stretched between them. Glaustro huffed and puffed and ground his teeth, but he made no move to issue a challenge.


    ¡°Excellent,¡± Graighast said calmly. ¡°Since we¡¯re past the petty drama, do your troops need time to rest? We do not have to set out until tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Glaustro growled. ¡°We¡¯re fine to leave now. We need to accomplish our goals as fast as possible, now that the bitch has mucked everything up and alerted the locals to just how screwed they are.¡±


    Graighast sighed and shook his head. ¡°Language, brother. We are not so lowborn that we should debase ourselves for no reason. I never understood your need to demean others. Wilhelmina made a mistake, but I have no doubt that she¡¯ll be reinstated soon, after she passes her training. I did warn the general that she should be required to take it, but¡­ alas. Now, excuse me while I get us moving.¡±


    I quickly realized I¡¯d been wrong about the big demon. Sure, his expression was so grumpy that he would make little children, even demonic ones, cry on sight. But as I watched him interact with his aides, a man and a woman who flitted about with documents clutched in their hands, I had to admit that he was incredibly caring for a demon.


    Not once did he start screaming, or lose his patience, or resort to violence as he sent out his commands. The entire camp was roused and then directed like a well-practiced orchestra. In no more than fifteen minutes, every soldier was packed up and ready to move. Even the mortal ones.


    I could practically feel my own commander burning with envy at the sight of this well-oiled machine. In that moment, I promised myself to follow every instinct I had inherited from Hayden related to military discipline. I had a strong feeling that anyone in Glaustro¡¯s troop who failed to perform up to Graighast¡¯s standard would regret it.


    With the camp cleared out and the friendly troops arrayed next to us, the commanders called for a march. This time, the term actually lived up to its name! We weren¡¯t just hurtling ourselves headfirst at the horizon, racing against some imaginary clock Wilhelmina had decided we must beat. We were an army, moving in proper formation at a steady, uniform pace.


    Naturally, there were some issues.


    The demons from Wilhelmina¡¯s troop were not used to such rigid discipline. Some slowed down, broke ranks into a wavy thing that barely resembled a line, and started to chatter. This invited immediate and painful retribution from our new commander. The offenders walked away from the encounter with all their limbs intact, but I was pretty sure the only reason for this was that such injuries would slow us down. More than anything else, Glaustro absolutely refused to let us lag behind his brother¡¯s troops.


    Graighast¡¯s soldiers were immaculate in their marching discipline. They walked in step, kept their eyes ahead, and didn¡¯t exchange so much as a single whisper. If I hadn¡¯t seen those same soldiers lounging and relaxing back at their camp, I would have thought the stern demon had replaced all his troops with automatons.


    Of course, this just increased Glaustro¡¯s fury at the wayward demons under his command. It didn¡¯t help that the despised mortals in his troop weren¡¯t the ones causing problems. I assumed that most human recruits came from learning institutions similar to the one Hayden had been raised in, and those were big on following orders. As such, we were a perfect picture of military discipline for Glaustro to grit his teeth at.


    Glaustro¡¯s mounting anger made me a little uneasy, but on the whole, I appreciated the orderliness of our march. First, the precision kept our target pace at a level that wasn¡¯t just possible, but bearable. Even with my body enhancing technique, I had struggled to make it to the end of each day under Wilhelmina.


    More importantly, though, the steadiness of the march gave me time to explore my new abilities.


    Strengthening my body with mana was now a much more streamlined experience. Whereas I once had to go through a whole process to take in mana from the environment, all I had to do now was will it to unspool from the core within my heart. The mana answered quickly and willingly. It filled every fiber of my being with greater ease than before, slowly integrating there even as it was consumed to boost my body¡¯s activities.


    Just as I expected, it wasn¡¯t an overwhelming improvement. Still, I could tell that I was stronger and had more endurance than before. More interesting still was the discovery that my reflexes were faster and my senses were sharper. I flexed my fingers experimentally, and I could swear that I was simply more *aware* of them than I used to be. If I had to execute a complex move with my sword, or complete a task that required a lot of dexterity, I would find probably find it way easier now.


    From the knowledge now imprinted in my head, I knew it would take up to four days for improved mana density to fully permeate a body and do its thing, but I already had most of the benefits of advancing to a mage apprentice.


    The changes excited me.


    The only downside was also an easy one. There were cases of people whining about losing one¡¯s humanity as they progressed along the path of mage craft. But that didn¡¯t really apply to me, did it? I was in an army of demons, trying to become one myself. It was a little late to complain.


    Besides, I was no stranger to sudden physical changes. I had already been shoved into a body that another soul had piloted for sixteen years. Magical improvement in the base quality of my physique was way easier to get used to.


    So, while my demonic compatriots seethed under the new disciplinary standards, and my fellow mortals quaked in fear of the commander¡¯s wrath, I played around with my mana. Even when the commanders called a break at midday and allowed us to dig into our rations, I managed to keep the *Illsent Mana Accumulation* technique going. I had to adjust my mana flow to compensate for the new range of motions, rather than the rigid marching patterns, but it wasn¡¯t too difficult.


    Bit by bit, I also felt myself getting closer to full agency in the technique. I was making it my own. As the day dragged on into evening, Clarinette¡¯s ghost was reduced to vague hints of foreign emotions, rather than full-on visions I had to disentangle myself from.


    It would have been the perfect day, really, one of pure practice, if it weren¡¯t for the way my commander decided to round things off.


    When light began to fade, we were called to a halt. Graighast ordered his soldiers to set up camp, but instead of following his brother¡¯s example, Glaustro strolled right up to Graighast.


    ¡°Before we rest for the day, I have a suggestion, Sergeant Graighast.¡± Glaustro grinned like a shark. ¡°I challenge you to the Proving Grounds, so our troops can get better acquainted, and we can assess each other¡¯s abilities. It would be a shame to go into battle side by side with someone we can¡¯t trust.¡±


    I didn¡¯t know what any of that meant. But judging by the gasp of shock that rippled through all the demons present, irrespective of their commanders, I guessed it wasn¡¯t good.

 Chapter 28: Proving Grounds

    Things proceeded quickly. For better or worse, once Graighast got over his obvious shock, his only answer was a quiet ¡°I accept.¡±


    With that done, the two troops broke apart, and the demons erupted into hushed whispers. They didn¡¯t even care that the mortals among them were blatantly listening in on their tense discussions.


    I was thankful for that, since it let me pick up on the context of what was happening.


    Proving Grounds were an established way for two legions to settle their differences. A venue would be chosen, and a soldier from each side would step up and fight to ¡®claim¡¯ the ring. Once a champion faltered, one of their allies would replace them. Essentially, it was a ¡®king of the hill¡¯ style tournament, with the final remaining soldier being declared a victor on behalf of their legion.


    We had no venue. We were two measly groups under mere sergeants instead of two grand legions. Worse still, we were nominal allies. All things considered, the declaration of ¡®Proving Grounds¡¯ was a contentious move.


    Glaustro did not care. His only concern was getting his demons organized enough to keep the best fighters from getting swamped under a tide of bodies and taken out at the very start. He also declared there would be rewards for the most successful champions, which got the demonic soldiers into the spirit of things fast. The order of challengers was decided, the right to decline fighting in the ring was offered, and plans were finalized.


    No one so much as glanced in the direction of the mortal soldiers.


    Finally, Glaustro sent a messenger to ask if his brother was ready to begin. Graighast was. Each troop was then ordered to move out and form one half of a large circle, denoting the ring for the fighters.


    It was apparently understood that if a fighter ventured too close to the enemy¡¯s side of the circle, they could fully expect cheap shots from spectators. I knew that because one of Glaustro¡¯s demons explained to us mere mortals that if we failed to contribute in this simplest of ways, we¡¯d be punished afterwards.


    ¡°May we begin, brother?¡± Graighast¡¯s voice was calm and collected as he seated himself in a relatively ornate chair someone had dragged out from somewhere after all the marching.


    ¡°Since you were the challenged party, you have the right to pick your combatant first.¡± Glaustro eyed his brother¡¯s chair enviously. His was much less grand, though no less surprising in its sudden appearance.


    Apparently, commanders got slightly better equipment than the foldable stuff.


    ¡°Very well.¡± For the first time, Graighast smiled, even if it was a tight, almost unhappy expression. He then addressed his troops. ¡°You may proceed as planned.¡±


    I could see my side¡¯s chosen demon, a yellow-skinned creature, gearing up to step into the ring. He gripped a wicked-looking axe, his face full of eagerness. That eagerness evaporated when a human woman entered the ring from Graighast¡¯s side.


    ¡°What is this?¡± Glaustro demanded immediately, eyes flicking between his brother and the human champion. ¡°Is this an insult?¡±


    ¡°What reason do I have to insult you, brother? I¡¯ve chosen my champion. Now choose your own.¡± Graighast genuinely didn¡¯t seem to be mocking his sibling. If anything, he sounded resigned.


    My commander was caught between a rock and a hard place. His plans did not include mortal involvement at all. He hadn¡¯t even bothered to acquaint himself with the quality of mortals under his command.


    He couldn¡¯t just order his planned champion into the ring though. It was Proving Grounds tradition to start with weaker combatants. But to send a demon into the ring against a lowly mortal? Glaustro¡¯s yellow-skinned champion would fly into a rage over the insult and the other demons under his command would also look down on their new commander.


    In the end, Glaustro swept his eyes over the crowd forming his half of the circle, then picked out a human at random. ¡°You. Get out there.¡±


    The mortal, a plain human, turned so pale I thought he might faint. Nonetheless, he unsheathed his sword and stepped into the ring. I admired his nerve.


    But I wasn¡¯t particularly hopeful for his chances of victory.


    He wore oversized, ratty leather armor that impeded more than it helped. His sword had actual, visible notches in the blade. I recognized it as one of the army-issued weapons, so it wasn¡¯t of horrible quality originally, but all the combat and lack of serious maintenance had done it no favors.


    A single glance told me the man was one of the worst soldiers in our army. As such, he was a perfectly reasonable choice for first champion, according to tradition.


    The problem was that even a cursory inspection of his opponent made it clear that she was leagues above him.


    The woman wielded a long, bladed staff with confidence and familiarity. Her armor was simple, mostly studded leather with plate covering her chest and back, but it was all perfectly fitted and well-maintained. And she wasn¡¯t an exception. Every single mortal in Graighast¡¯s troop was similarly equipped. Whatever Graighast thought of his mortal soldiers, I had a strong feeling he had invested his personal resources into getting them up to par.


    Ergo, I was fully expecting our guy to get steamrolled.


    I wasn¡¯t wrong.


    It wasn¡¯t an instant defeat. Our troop may have been lacking in discipline and equipment, but by this point, the fully incompetent had been well and truly rooted out with the intense schedule and infighting. The man fought with skill and precision. Still, there was only so much he could do when his enemy was decently trained and had actual equipment to fall back on.


    In the end, our brave representative got brained, thankfully by the non-bladed portion of his opponent¡¯s staff. As a couple of soldiers dragged him back, the expression on Glaustro¡¯s face made me fear for our future. He was visibly fuming.


    It took two more fights for the woman to go down.


    First, she was up against a knife-wielder from our side. He almost managed to shank her before she twisted so that the attack met metal plate instead of vulnerable flesh. Still, by the time her opponent was in the dirt, she was breathing heavily. Her next opponent, a woman with a maul, was able to capitalize on that and take her out.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Unfortunately, our maul-user was then¡­ well, mauled by a cat-like man from the enemy side. Glaustro pointed at another human from our troop, and the battle continued.


    I watched each fight quietly, assessing, gauging my chances, and waiting for my commander¡¯s frustration to build. Eventually, he growled out an order for us to pick the next fighter amongst ourselves, especially because there were only human mortals left. Then he fell silent, watching with a mulish expression.


    That was when I made my move. I pushed aside my comrades who were hesitating and stepped into the ring.


    So far, sixteen mortals on our side had met their defeat. On the enemy side, only three fighters had faltered.


    My enemy, a bird-like woman with wings that she used both for movement and to bash opponents around, immediately tensed at the sight of me. It may have been simple arrogance, but I thought she had good reason for that reaction. My equipment alone set me apart from the other mortals in my troop.


    I didn¡¯t say anything as I drew my sword and dagger. Neither did she. We simply exchanged a single nod, then launched into combat.


    The bird-woman¡¯s weapon of choice was a rapier. Considering her advantages, a bow would have made more sense to me, but I was grateful for her odd choice. Parrying the thin blade aside with my shorter dagger blade was simplicity itself. When I launched into a counter with far more speed than she expected, my Legacy blade easily kissed her side.


    I didn¡¯t press too far, choosing to deal a shallow wound. Thankfully, my opponent recognized that. She scrunched up her face, hopping away like an injured owl. Then, reluctantly, she inclined her head and sank back into the crowd.


    Her replacement was a muscular human whose armor strained to contain him. His chosen weapon was a great sword so large it was almost comical. Or it would have been, if the man weren¡¯t capable of swinging it single-handedly.


    The fight that followed was much tougher than my first.


    Each of his blows left deep gouges in the ground, and somehow, that didn¡¯t slow him down. Extracting his weapon from the dirt should have been a chore, yet he ripped it out easily and kept it moving every time. I had to dodge and weave between his strikes, tapping into my body strengthening technique when my mana accumulation boost proved insufficient.


    In the end, though, his wild use of strength was his undoing. All I had to do was wait for him to over-extend once, and then my sword dug up through his armpit, piercing his shoulder.


    It was a lethal move, but I didn¡¯t have the presence of mind to be picky. I had leaned fully into my magically inherited skill with the blades. When I managed to nudge his sword out of the way just a tad with my dagger, my body was moving mostly on instinct rather than intention.


    Thankfully for my opponent, healing potions were a thing, and there was a demon dispensing them to every defeated combatant on the enemy side. He would live.


    Not for the first time, I cursed my luck. No one who fought for Glaustro had received any treatment besides a rough drag back to our camp. I had begged the universe not to put me with Graighast. It would be just like the universe to actually give me what I asked for.


    Because, apparently, the universe had a sick sense of humor.


    My next few opponents were progressively more challenging. Two humans, both men, and then what I guessed to be a dwarf, stepped up and were defeated. They were good, but honestly, the recruit from my first day who tried to stab me in the back got closer to killing me than they did. For each one, all I needed was a touch of mana to get ahead and stay ahead.


    I guessed this had more to do with my current accomplishments than their lack of skill. How many recruits could boast of killing a mage? I doubted I was the only one, but there couldn¡¯t be many more who had pulled off the same feat. My status as a mage apprentice, in addition to my body strengthening technique and dual sword style, put me well ahead of the average mortal.


    Graighast acknowledged that, if the steadily climbing skill level of my enemies was any indication.


    The first one to really press me was an elf, yet still a mortal. The woman had an eerie, inhuman kind of beauty, all sharp angles and elongated features. She was also a wraith-like dual wielder who almost skewered me with her own dagger and rapier combo.


    For her, I finally had to push my body strengthening to the limits of what it could offer. Even then, I was only a step faster than the elf. She moved with a smooth grace and dexterity that I could only envy. It enabled her to keep up with me for a while, even if she was outmatched.


    I had to play dirty there. Instead of aiming for a battle-ending blow, I focused on her limbs, slicing at her arms and legs whenever possible. It was blood loss that got her in the end. She glared poisonously at me as she was pulled off the field, and I knew that I would need to look out for daggers in the dark as long as she was around.


    The next combatant was one of the most exotic-looking mortals I¡¯d encountered. The man, or at least what I assumed was a man, was fully see-through in the spots not covered by armor. His hair was a mass of wriggling, translucent tentacles. I did my best to conceal how the sight of all his organs put me on edge.


    His body was more elastic than it should have been, limbs bending and weaving in unnatural ways that let him score a collection of shallow cuts on my upper arms before I finally got one good stab in right through his thigh.


    He really shouldn¡¯t have felt confident enough in his weird physiology to let me get that close.


    Interestingly, he bled gray. What¡¯s more, I must have hit a major artery because my fancy new armor was covered in gray blood within seconds. His comrades fetched him with far more urgency than the rest of my opponents so far.


    Then there was a brief lull. Three potential combatants from Graighast¡¯s side were eying each other: a human, a green-skinned humanoid I didn¡¯t want to just assume was an orc, and an eerily expressionless albino. I¡¯d thought the latter was a human at first, but his unnatural stillness made me wonder.


    Finally, the green-skinned mountain of muscles stepped into the ring with a loud snort.


    ¡°You fight well,¡± the challenger rumbled in an oddly feminine voice.


    ¡°I still don¡¯t know how well you fight, so I¡¯ll return the compliment a bit later,¡± I quipped, earning myself a wide grin. And were those¡­tusks? Yep, tusks. Short, and not quite poking out of her mouth, but they were there.


    Orc for sure.


    We launched into combat immediately, me using my trusty dual style, and her wielding an absolutely massive shield and mace.


    I¡¯d like to say the battle was effortless and cool on my part, but while I did win, I was seriously scraping for it by the end.


    She managed to shove her shield into my chest and actually lift me up on it. After that, all that saved me was my mana-sharpened wits. When she lifted her mace for a crushing blow to my head, my magically enhanced presence of mind kept me focused in that moment of danger, allowing me to dig my sword into the crook of her elbow.


    Not only did this remove her ability to use her right arm with the mace, but it also put her on a timer. If she didn¡¯t manage to get me quickly, she¡¯d bleed out. That made her reckless. She lunged at me wildly, again and again, putting herself in easy reach of my two blades. Even with her shield in the way, I managed to carve her up enough that she finally collapsed to her knees.


    She refused to go down fully though.


    Instead, she glared up at me, taking giant, ragged breaths that turned the air around her face to mist. I had won, but she looked way more intimidating than I felt. Her comrades had to drag her away.


    Another lull ensued. The other two mortals seemed unwilling to step up. Mentally, I patted myself on the back.


    I was hiding my exhaustion well. My conscious application of the mana accumulation technique kept a constant stream of mana flowing through my body, easing the burden of the fights. My muscles were aching, but the body strengthening technique allowed me to push through. I wasn¡¯t even breathing that hard.


    At long last, and with incredible reluctance, a demon peeled away from the opposing crowd.


    ¡°Well fought, human.¡± He actually spoke first.


    The shock of receiving a compliment from a demon briefly stunned me into silence. I scrambled for an appropriate response.


    ¡°Thank y¡ª¡±


    That was as far as I got before he blurred, and then he was right in front of me.


    The last thing I saw was his fist slamming into my face.

 Chapter 29: Burning Progress

    My performance on the Proving Grounds taught me several important things.


    First, demons absolutely hated being forced to step up and deal with a ¡®mere mortal.¡¯ My opponent put me down quickly and brutally. The only reason I was up and moving an hour later, rather than dead, was the mercy of Graighast.


    Despite my humiliation of his troops, the demon commander was apparently impressed enough by my performance that he had ordered his healer to tend me. I thanked the brown-skinned healer demon profusely, but he barely acknowledged my words, let alone respond.


    The second thing I learned was that putting on a show and ¡®earning honor¡¯ for your betters was enough to make demons tolerate you, and maybe even like you a little. As long as I¡¯d been in this troop, the demons had contented themselves with not eviscerating me. After my display in the Proving Grounds, I received a ton of vicious smiles and more than one pat on my back.


    Even the demon who¡¯d crisped my arms congratulated me. ¡°Now I¡¯m glad I didn¡¯t burn you alive!¡± he exclaimed boisterously, a large smile on his face. ¡°Good thing too because I was tempted.¡±


    I awkwardly assured him that I was very grateful for his mercy.


    Bronwynn still steered clear of me. In the off moments, I noted with amusement and some curiosity that he watched my entire interaction with the flame-throwing demon from a distance. When the pyromaniac walked away, the friendly demon tracked his form with narrowed eyes.


    Finally, and most importantly, Glaustro didn¡¯t seem to recognize me from the incident at the Apple Infernal check-in desk. Maybe he had terrible short-term memory. Maybe all humans looked the same to him. Regardless, when I finally woke up and made it back to my troop, he gave me a look of, dare I say it, approval. I might even have glimpsed a twinkle in his eye, though it was too brief to be certain.


    He certainly had cause to be in a good mood. After my defeat launched the fully demonic part of the conflict, our troop¡¯s luck held. Wilhelmina was absolutely a shit commander, but she didn¡¯t tolerate weakness in her troops. She had personally tested the demons who ended up under her command, weeding out those ¡®unworthy of serving her.¡¯ This meant that our side of the demon conflict was, on average, more powerful than Graighast¡¯s forces.


    It was close, but when the final demon fell, it was Glaustro¡¯s soldier who stood panting in the ring.


    That made all the difference for our commander. Instead of a surly, snarling mess, we suddenly had a leader who practically grinned while giving us orders. Well, his brow was unfurled and the corner of his lips were ticked up. By demon standards, he might as well have broken out in a joyful dance.


    Oddly enough, Graighast didn¡¯t take his loss as badly as I expected him to. He was a little more officious and stiff when addressing his troops, but that was it. In fact, when Glaustro wasn¡¯t looking, I could have sworn I saw Graighast smile at his brother.


    Complicated infernal family dynamics aside, the resolution of tension between the sergeants also meant relative peace for the troops. I spotted people from both sides mingling. Some even broke off in pairs, vanishing mysteriously into a tent for a while. No one seemed to care when such things happened, so I had to assume that demonic army culture didn¡¯t have particularly rigid rules when it came to interpersonal relationships.


    The harmony between troops also meant that both sides could now focus more completely on our mission.


    I wasn¡¯t sure how to feel about that.


    Wilhelmina¡¯s stunt had shifted the invasion from a blitz against unprepared enemies to something like a proper battle. I say ¡®like¡¯ a proper battle because in spite of their better intelligence, there wasn¡¯t much the locals could do. A wave of death was approaching on demonic wings. Even if they brought their full might to bear, the locals couldn¡¯t stop the tide.


    They could, however, delay it.


    Or try to.


    Demons didn¡¯t need traditional food and drink to sustain themselves. Mortals did, of course, but there weren¡¯t enough of us in the army to put a strain on logistics. We didn¡¯t have enough for a feast, but we had more than enough rations to meet our needs.


    So when we started to come across scorched fields and villages, the commanders were disappointed, but not dismayed. We just pressed on.


    Quite frankly, the humans were doing a disservice to themselves. Their decision to torch every source of food in the stretches between cities would have done wonders against a traditional invasion force, but it didn¡¯t even slow us down. It actually made marching easier, since the fires had eliminated obstacles like crops or tall grass.


    The ash did get tiresome quickly though. The army¡¯s tramping feet kicked it all up into the air, where it hung in a noxious cloud. After ten minutes of choking on the stuff, I dug out one of my few spare shirts and cut it into a makeshift bandana I could use for some protection. This helped even out my breathing, but it couldn¡¯t keep the ash from sticking to every single part of me.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    All this devastation, and for what?


    All in all, I was sick and tired of trudging through the wake of these pointless fires by the time we came across our first town. My mood didn¡¯t get much better with that discovery, and neither did our commanders¡¯.


    The town was gutted.


    From what traces we could find, it was abandoned a couple of days before we reached it. Tracks led away from the gates and into the heart of the kingdom in droves. Every home left behind was stripped bare. Every shop was empty.


    And in the center of the town, where some kind of market once stood, were the remains of a massive bonfire.


    In one final ¡®fuck you¡¯ display, the citizens, likely encouraged by whoever had been sent to facilitate the retreat, had burned everything they couldn¡¯t bring with them. I felt no small amount of disgust as I spotted a caramelized patch of ground where either pure sugar or some kind of very sweet fruit had been cooked into a crisp.


    It took a special kind of malicious desperation to destroy every last trace of your resources just to deny your enemies the chance to use them. Furthermore, a total retreat like this one would result in cities bursting to the brim with refugees. With most of their supplies burned, what kind of life could they hope to have, even if they somehow survived?


    But my mocking thoughts were swamped in guilt when I reflected on the reality facing these people. They weren¡¯t just running away from another conquering army. They were running away from a demonic invasion. Were they so wrong to think that taking their chances with starvation was a reasonably preferable option? Could I even argue that survival under the rule of demons was any better?


    Faced with the prospect of slavery in a demonic regime, I¡¯d definitely choose death.


    Our march through the ruined countryside wasn¡¯t solely marked by frustration. Now that my troop was under a new commander, and with things relatively calm between Glaustro and Graighast, I could cautiously claim that things were getting better. In fact, in a rare and shocking display of compassion, Glaustro even directed several of his demons to train the mortal troops.


    The training took place every night, after we were done marching for the day. It was exhausting. It was grueling. And it always left me desperate for a bath when the best I could hope for was a wipe-down, and that was only if there happened to be a source of water nearby.


    Yet, in spite of all this, it was helping.


    The demons reluctantly explained a mana technique that bore some resemblance to my body strengthening technique. It relied on running mana throughout our bodies in a specific form and at a specific frequency, which was very tricky to learn. First, I had to figure out how to make mana vibrate at all, and then adjust that manipulation of ambient mana until it matched our tutors¡¯ vibration.


    Once we got that part down, we had to replicate the process within our own bodies, which upped the difficulty considerably. To be honest, I spent the first fifteen minutes on my side, throwing up violently. Even with two previous mana techniques, my body really hated mana vibrating inside of it. Only when I got significantly closer to the right frequency did the discomfort begin to ease.


    I was the second-fastest mortal to stop losing their lunch. The only one who beat me out was an oni. Well, I didn¡¯t know if she was an oni, exactly, but she was blue-skinned with stubby little horns, and wasn¡¯t a demon. It was as good a designation as any. She was also magnificently gifted at manipulating her mana, and only threw up once before she got the hang of the process.


    But the suffering we went through was worth it.


    The effect of the altered mana both stressed and healed our muscles, with an emphasis on the healing. This meant we could push ourselves far past our normal breaking point during the training, and then be back on our feet hale and hearty by the next morning.


    All the mortals quickly shed any last trace of fat. We put on muscles at a rate not even steroids could match up to back in my original world. More importantly, the technique made it easy to shrug off the wear of a long day¡¯s brisk march, which allowed our commanders to push us further and more recklessly than ever.


    As I moved, I couldn¡¯t help but marvel at my new body. It hadn¡¯t been very long since my arrival in this body and already, I was leagues ahead of a normal human. I was forging myself into something new, something better. Every exhausting, burning bit of progress pushed me that much further.


    Oh, I wasn¡¯t quite at the point where I could tank bullets and walk away with nary a bruise. But if I kept things up, I¡¯d eventually hit that point. The prospect almost made up for all the fear and emotional anguish of being in a literal demonic army.


    Almost.


    Bronwynn wasn¡¯t one of our trainers, but I did notice something curious about these tutor demons when I had enough energy to take a closer look at them. Their features were more¡­ subdued, compared to the rest of the infernal troops. Their skin wasn¡¯t so starkly inhuman, just a few shades off, and their horns weren¡¯t as prominent. By and large, they didn¡¯t have many inhuman features at all. One of them had a tail, and one had webbed fingers, but that was it.


    I came to strongly suspect that their reluctance and reticence when dealing with us had nothing to do with typical demonic hatred of mortals, and all to do with the fact that we reminded them of the status they had overcome. It couldn¡¯t be easy, living as an ascended demon in an army that considered mortals to be basically useless.


    A small, na?ve part of me thought my performance on the Proving Grounds would elevate the status of all mortals in the troop, but that was only partly correct. I was now treated better, and it was unlikely that I¡¯d get killed out of hand by one of my demonic comrades if they were having a bad day. The rest of the mortal troops? Not so much. They were still treated with the same quiet disdain or disregard, and it didn¡¯t take a social genius to note that some of them resented me for it.


    Could they have earned the same respect? Could they have lasted against Graighast¡¯s mortal troops? They probably didn¡¯t know. But because of me, they would never get to find out, and that stung.


    It didn¡¯t seem to help that their current training was all thanks to me. If anything, those who still struggled with the mana manipulation requirements only resented me even more. It left me feeling¡­ bitter, and exhausted.


    I didn¡¯t want to make friends, not really. But it still hurt that I didn¡¯t even have the chance to try.


    As such, when we finally saw the silhouette of walls in the distance, I was relieved. After two and a half weeks of marching, training, and dealing with the quiet hostility of people who should theoretically have my back, I¡¯d finally get to earn some souls again.


    That hope lasted until we got close enough to spot the shimmering dome of mana that stretched over the whole city.


    Whatever challenges we had overcome before and however weak the demons made their enemies out to be, I was suddenly quite certain that we were in for a rather grueling fight.

 Chapter 30: Defiance

    For the first time since I joined the army, my seemingly unstoppable overlords were stumped.


    To say that the dome of mana was a shocking new development for them would be an understatement. Even from my place in the formation, several feet away, I could hear the argument between the brothers.


    ¡°They¡¯re mocking us,¡± Glaustro hissed, staring up at the locals patrolling the wall.


    That wasn¡¯t the impression I got. The soldiers on patrol seemed stiff, their movement stilted. They might have been pretending to ignore the army of demons, but the surreptitious glances in our direction betrayed them.


    Interestingly enough, I could not spot a single local on the wall who resembled a mage. I liked to think I¡¯d be able to recognize them if they were present. After all, while Clarinette¡¯s memories were mostly a nuisance, they did acquaint me with mage types rather well.


    ¡°A perfect mana sealing formation? Primarily made out of space mana? How? This is barely a class one world on the best day. They¡¯re not supposed to have access to this kind of knowledge!¡± Glaustro was on one of his angry rants. He wasn¡¯t so much talking to his brother as at him.


    Graighast replied calmly, ¡°Just because they cannot produce an Archmage doesn¡¯t mean they can¡¯t perform deeper studies into the nature of mana. It would be far more difficult and time-consuming, but if the right kind of genius came along¡­ it is theoretically possible.¡±


    ¡°Genius?!¡± Glaustro scoffed. ¡°Among this rabble? Do you really think they¡¯d be able to produce someone like that? With the requisite mana sensitivity? This is pure sabotage! I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s another legion¡¯s meddling, or those thrice damned angels, but I¡¯m telling you that mortals in a world like this couldn¡¯t possibly produce that kind of barrier on their own. What are they using to power it?¡±


    ¡°Mana crystals? It is a simple enough resource to harness.¡±


    Glaustro glared at the dome as if trying to bring it down with rage alone. ¡°Maybe, but have we even found proof that it¡¯s possible to mine it here? The mana density of this world is abysmal. Even if it¡¯s enough for some lesser deposits to form, they¡¯d be located at a depth impossible for mortals to reach. And even then, there wouldn¡¯t be enough to fuel something of this level. I¡¯m telling you, they couldn¡¯t have managed on their own.¡±


    ¡°And I¡¯m reminding you that they have managed, whether they did it alone or not.¡± Graighast sighed. ¡°Which means that we need to deal with this, before it impacts the speed of our invasion. You know our orders. We can¡¯t afford to let the conquering of this world drag on. If it does, and we miss out on the conquest of Lagyel, I¡¯ll be most displeased. More importantly, the general will be displeased.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t patronize me,¡± Glaustro snapped, finally tearing his eyes away from the barrier. ¡°I know that. I also know that the general wants us to reinforce the troops there as soon as possible. I hear they¡¯re putting up far more of a struggle than initially predicted.¡±


    ¡°I am not surprised. Lagyel might not be the most prominent world we¡¯ve invaded since our inclusion in the legion, but it is definitely one of the more powerful. Regardless, the issue at hand¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m still saying they shouldn¡¯t be able to power this thing!¡± Glaustro threw his arms out to indicate the dome, grinding his teeth so loudly that my ears hurt even at a distance. I was impressed he could grind his teeth at all, considering those fangs of his.


    ¡°Well¡­ I don¡¯t necessarily disagree,¡± Graighast finally allowed. ¡°That might be where our answer lies. If they are barely managing to support the barrier, then perhaps we can drain it.¡±


    I didn¡¯t have to be nearby to imagine how Glaustro¡¯s eyes lit up with malice at this suggestion. And I mean literally. I had seen actual flames burning inside his eyeballs on more than one occasion. The effect was stunning, if disquieting.


    ¡°For once, your idea has merit, brother.¡± Glaustro managed to inject the title of endearment with enough venom to kill a herd of elephants. ¡°They might be able to ape the power of their betters briefly, but they can¡¯t hold out forever.¡±


    The two commanders didn¡¯t start screaming orders, exactly, but they did give their instructions loudly and with more vigor than usual. Whether the two demons wanted to admit it or not, something about the barrier unnerved them enough to throw them off-balance.


    I could tell that some of the other demons shared this sentiment. They were eying the barrier like it was going to bite them. To me, it was just a perfectly innocuous, shimmering dome, almost like a large crystal bowl had been placed upside down over the city. To be completely honest, I thought it was pretty.


    Interestingly, it was these disquieted demons who were ordered to step forward and array themselves in a line before the dome. About sixty received this order, drawn from both troops. I noticed my fire-slinging assailant was among them.


    This movement caused some stirring among the human locals on patrol in the city. But they didn¡¯t panick. I strongly suspected their orders were to project an air of calm and poise, but even from afar, I noticed that they were tenser than before as they watched the demons warily.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    One of Graighast¡¯s assistants shouted, ¡°Prepare!¡± ¡ª and the show began.


    Every time I had seen demonic magic before, it always involved instantaneous effects wielded to great destructive potential. It was all fireballs and flame whips and freezing cold that sapped the life out of the living in mere seconds.


    The attack on the barrier was something else altogether. The demons were taking their orders seriously.


    Lines of pure power slashed through the air as each demon began preparing a spell. At first, I thought they were forming stereotypical magic circles, but I couldn¡¯t have been more wrong. The spell forms became more complex rapidly, growing from two-dimensional to three-dimensional. Clusters of shimmering runes appeared. The lines of power twisted, spinning and orbiting around the runes, which fused into giant balls of mana.


    As the demons drew more and more mana out of the air, each spell form took on the intensity of a miniature sun.


    Some were constructs formed of mundane mana types, such as the basic elements of air, water, fire, and earth. Others I could recognize from Hayden¡¯s studies as demonic mana specialties like poison, rot, or rust.


    Some, though, were entirely alien to me. For example, I spotted a spectral silver mana that stabbed into my very being every time I looked at it. Each stab inspired in me thoughts of things that cut. Swords, knives, axes, the frigid air of winter, unkind words¡­ the mana itself whispered to me of what it meant to cut, and be cut, and inflict an indelible wound on the very foundation of the world.


    Then everything¡­ shifted, and I had to fight down the urge to crumple to my knees and throw up. I had no idea how many dimensions the spell forms were inhabiting, but all the lines of power were slipping in and out of view in a disorienting way that made my soul hurt, let alone my eyes and brain.


    I tore my eyes away, deciding that I should maybe not casually watch demons performing magic in the future.


    ¡°Begin!¡± Graighast¡¯s aide snapped, and the demonic mages unleashed everything they had.


    The assault was glorious. The sheer variety of spells boggled my mind, opening my imagination to what would be possible if I kept advancing down the mage path. Miniature tornadoes erupted. Reality turned into glass that cracked and then shattered into a billion little pieces. Sickness took root in the very air a spell passed through.


    All this power, all this merciless magic might, was hurled against the crystalline dome under the stunned gaze of both defenders and mortal soldiers in the demonic army. Hell, even some of the demons looked impressed.


    For a moment or two after impact, no one could see the results. The explosions had swallowed up the sky. But long before everything cleared enough for mortal eyes, the demons¡¯ strangled gasps and exclamations told me the dome was still standing, unmarked and pristine.


    I was right.


    I noticed Graighast¡¯s aide gaping at the dome along with everyone else. Then, glares from both sergeants snapped him into action.


    ¡°Repeat!¡± he bellowed. ¡°Prepare your spells again! We¡¯re not stopping until this barrier is down!¡±


    Round after round, spell after spell, the demonic mages repeated their offensive. On the third round, they started teaming up in small groups. Some groups worked together to form one massive spell, while others concentrated their individual attacks together on a single point of the barrier, casting a barrage of spells in devastating sequence.


    At first, everyone was tense, ready to spring to action the moment the barrier was brought down. But half an hour later, everyone was starting to get bored. More than a few of the demons were snickering at their fellows for being bested by ¡®mere mortals.¡¯


    When we hit an hour, unrest settled in for real. It was one thing to mock your colleagues for taking a bit too long with a task that should have been routine. It was quite another to confront the possibility that the whole troop might fail.


    Demons didn¡¯t do failure, because every demon that fails is a very, very dead demon. Not even Wilhelmina had failed. If anything, it could be argued that she was a bit too successful and had simply channeled that success in a way that didn¡¯t suit the general¡¯s needs. The growing rumor in the two groups was that if somehow failed to conquer all the cities in our way as ordered, the general would do unspeakable horrors to us.


    The commanders caught onto the anxious chatter quickly. They were, unsurprisingly, displeased.


    ¡°Do not panic, you imbeciles!¡± Glaustro snapped, rising out of the seat he¡¯d taken at the front so he could watch the destruction of the city from a premium spot. ¡°No matter what they do, unless they¡¯ve learned how to leverage principles that even superior worlds struggle to master, they¡¯re running on a limited pool of mana. In a world like this one, containers for vast amounts of mana do not exist. Are you telling me you believe mortals can match up to demons in mana capacity? Even with whatever trick they¡¯re using here?¡±


    This seemed sufficient for the demons, who settled down.


    Me? I wasn¡¯t quite so certain. No one had expected this barrier. It had already withstood an incredible assault of demonic magic. I couldn¡¯t shrug it off as a casual warding spell.


    Plus, there was just something¡­ scary about the dome. It''s mana type, if I had to guess. Glaustro had mentioned space mana, which was probably what the general used every time he opened a portal. That didn¡¯t seem like a substance to mess around with.


    I didn¡¯t speak up, of course, and no one exactly rushed to ask for my opinion. Not that my speculation would¡¯ve changed the proceedings. Regardless of anyone¡¯s concerns, we were all stuck in place, explosions booming above our heads as the demonic mages struggled to overcome the barrier.


    Somehow, in clear defiance of demonic expectation, the locals were actually putting up a decent defense against the otherworldly invaders. I doubted it was easy or cheap. I didn¡¯t think they could keep it up, for all the same reasons Glaustro had given. Nonetheless, it was exciting.


    Eventually, the commanders lost their patience, and even more demons joined the assault. Their spells were far less impressive than what the specialized demon mages had produced, but they still contributed. I could feel my eyes glazing over as I watched. There were only so many incredible spell formations and mind-blowing mana manipulation you could see before it all started to feel mundane.


    The tension in the air didn¡¯t lessen though. If anything, it continued to ratchet up as we waited to see the defeat of this outrageous local defiance, the end of these ignoble fools who dared to inconvenience demons.


    We waited as more guards, then knights, emerged on the battlements, looking tense and weary.


    We waited as our commanders¡¯ bloodlust was stoked.


    Whatever their initial orders might have been, once that barrier faltered, I knew what would follow.


    Total slaughter.

 Chapter 31: Siege

    A few hours later, the barrier was still standing.


    This was a problem for many reasons, not least of which was the rising anger of our superiors. Glaustro, in particular, was starting to fume visibly. I definitely didn¡¯t want to be anywhere near him when he finally exploded.


    The moment he suddenly rose from his seat and stalked towards the barrier, I truly thought that was it. I felt certain he was about to do something rash, and that I¡¯d see demons die for the first time.


    I was wrong. The sergeant¡¯s face was fixed in a rictus of anger, yes, but he merely glowered at the crystalline dome before he spun around to face the casters.


    ¡°Enough. If this is to become a siege, we need a better plan.¡±


    Then he began handing out orders.


    I watched, transfixed. I had seen Glaustro angry. I had seen him fly into a rage. But I had never seen him calm down and do his job with such exacting precision.


    Roughly a quarter of the demonic mages, those whose spells possessed the greatest raw power, were directed to continue their bombardment. Another quarter, those who demonstrated the most complex and technically challenging spells, were ordered to study the barrier. Finally, and much to my surprise, Glaustro commanded the remaining half to rest.


    The very idea of demons needing rest seemed ludicrous. But once I bothered to take a closer look, I could spot traces of exhaustion in the demonic mages. It wasn¡¯t obvious, but it was definitely there.


    I was shocked. Until that moment, I didn¡¯t realize how firmly I believed in the demons¡¯ infallibility. Somehow, whether due to Hayden¡¯s influence or my own experience, I¡¯d subconsciously come to hold as overinflated an opinion of demons as they had of themselves.


    The gruff voice of Glaustro broke me out of this revelation.


    ¡°The rest of you set up camp,¡± he snapped. ¡°Make sure you stay on alert because we are going to destroy this city as soon as the barrier falls. And it will fall.¡±


    His voice was full of vitriol and hatred, but this time, I wasn¡¯t tempted to flinch away. It was actually comforting to be on the same side as a vicious demon, knowing all his anger was pointed at the enemies.


    As we broke ranks and hastened to obey, I cast a glance in Graighast¡¯s direction. The demon was quiet, all his attention fixed on the barrier. He didn¡¯t even object when his brother took control and gave commands to his men.


    I tamped down my surge of inadvisable curiosity to learn more about these brothers. If I made any move to pry into their lives, I had little doubt my soul would be crushed on the spot.


    Instead, I paused for a moment and devoted my own attention to the barrier. The magical construct was fascinating, both in its appearance and its effect on the demons. Though no one had explained why, space mana was clearly a big deal.


    But as I stared at the dome, it wasn¡¯t the scary-important mana type that held my focus.


    I did have some knowledge about barriers, inherited from both Hayden and Clarinette. A barrier, at least in theory, was a construct similar to regular mage shields. The only difference was the anchoring point.


    A mage shield was anchored to a mage. As such, it was both mobile and flexible, though entirely dependent on the mage¡¯s own mana. A barrier was anchored to an item or a building. Its mobility, or lack thereof, depended on its anchor. To function, a barrier drew mana from some kind of magical battery designated by its creator. This made barriers tougher and more reliable than mage shields, though much more costly to maintain.


    None of these were the reason for my interest in the barrier.


    No, what drew me to it was a memory I had almost forgotten in all the recent chaos. Over the past few days, I¡¯d been toasted, experienced a change in commanders, accomplished a major shopping trip, and been thrown into a demonic tournament. It was understandable that I¡¯d overlooked some minor events along the way.


    Except the ¡®minor event¡¯ currently looping in my head was my sword slicing through that old man¡¯s mage shield like it wasn¡¯t even there.


    It had shocked me back then, and I still couldn¡¯t explain it now. I hadn¡¯t drawn on my mana or instinctively cast a spell. Hells, at the time, I didn¡¯t even have a proper mana absorption technique beyond the body strengthening technique that seemed more like an exercise regime than anything. I definitely shouldn¡¯t have been able to cut down a protective magical construct, especially one cast by an individual of at least the Greater Mage level.


    This led me to only one possible conclusion: I, personally, contributed nothing to that victory. Ergo, the only factor responsible for success was my weapon.


    It wasn¡¯t a particularly far-fetched idea. Everyone who saw the sword reminded me of how lucky I was to own it. Demons would only feel that way if a ¡®soul blade¡¯ was capable of at least a few significant feats, right?


    I knew I was supposed to be setting up my tent, but I gazed at the barrier for one more moment, questions rolling through my mind in response to this conclusion. Did the commanders know I had a soul blade? Did they have soul weapons of their own?


    And, most importantly¡­


    Could I use my sword to bring the barrier down?


    There was only one way to find out.


    I located my assigned spot quickly. Ever since we joined up with Graighast¡¯s troops, Glaustro insisted our side of the camp be arranged equal to his brother¡¯s organizational standards. I assembled my pathetic excuse for a tent, then began looking for an opportunity to slip away unseen.


    It didn¡¯t take me long to find one.


    Demons tended to ignore ¡®mere mortals.¡¯ I was sure plenty of my mortal allies would happily shank me from behind, but they¡¯d all wait until we were in the middle of a battle to try. No one seemed to care about people wandering away from the camp. Demons did it often, mostly so they could put some distance between themselves and the flammable camp before practicing their brand of combat or magic. And mortals did it when they needed a moment to themselves to stay sane.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.


    As such, it was easy for me to get away without being noticed. I only felt Bronwynn¡¯s eyes linger briefly on my departing form before I slipped into the shadows. I stuck close to the barrier, following the subtle curve of it until I was out of sight of the camp.


    Only then did it occur to me that I might have made a mistake.


    If I raised my head, I could make eye contact with the suspicious guards patrolling the city wall. I strongly suspected they couldn¡¯t attack through the barrier. If they could, they would have tried to snipe the demons by now. But there was no guarantee they couldn¡¯t pass through somehow and try to snatch me up.


    Still, I was already there. Since I had taken a stupid risk already, I might as well feed my curiosity before making my heroic retreat.


    As always, the sword slid out of its sheath with nary a whisper. The blade still wasn¡¯t much to look at, but I was so used to it that I didn¡¯t notice the imperfections so much anymore. In fact, when I held it, the weapon felt like a part of me.


    Or was that just a feeling? It was called a soul blade for a reason. I did have to go through the binding process in order to claim it. There was probably something there, but I didn¡¯t have enough information yet to speculate properly.


    Instead, I focused on what I was there to do. I gripped the sword with both my hands, raised it above my head, and brought it down on the barrier with every bit of strength I possessed.


    Unfortunately, instead of making the barrier pop so I could claim my share of glory, my attack had all the same results I would achieve trying to hack my way through a steel plate.


    The blade fought to jump out of my hands. The skin between my fingers split open in a rush of blood. The tremor of impact rattled my bones and tore at my muscles. I doubled over, fighting to hold in a string of screamed expletives.


    Then laughter erupted behind me.


    I spun, taking a combat stance as best I could. My arms were still complaining, and my hands were nearly useless, but I¡¯d be more damned than I already was if I just let someone kill me without a fuss.


    But when I saw who was laughing, I knew there was nothing I could do to stop him if he decided to hurt me.


    The demon who had torched my arms for daring to ¡®steal¡¯ a soul from him was right there, bent over with his hands on his stomach, laughing hard enough to hack up a lung.


    ¡°Oh, Abyss! You just ¡ª I mean, I was hoping I¡¯d get to see something funny when I followed you, but I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d try anything like that!¡±


    He finally managed to pull himself together, straightening as he brushed away an oddly gleaming tear. His smile was on full display. ¡°Well? Not going to say anything?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, sir,¡± I said hastily.


    ¡°Sorry? I suppose you are. I¡¯d be sorry too, if I did something as stupid as that. I mean, really? Did you think you could poke a hole in a spatial ward with that dull stick of yours?¡±


    I was definitely blushing, which only fed the demon¡¯s amusement. ¡°No?¡±


    ¡°Aha, see, you did a good job of trying to make your answer a question, but I can tell you¡¯re lying to me. Maybe you didn¡¯t one hundred percent believe it, but you thought it was possible, didn¡¯t you?¡± the demon taunted, moving closer to me with all the sinuous grace of a big cat. Or a snake.


    I backed up until I hit the barrier.


    ¡°Ah, well, when I encountered a similar situation before, I¡­¡±


    I trailed off there, wanting to curse at myself. How could I explain my weapon¡¯s potential ability to break magical constructs without bringing up the first time I had noticed it? I didn¡¯t think he would respond well to any mention of my theft.


    ¡°You broke the mana shielding of a mage when you pulled off your little assassination attempt. Yes, I remember,¡± the demon assured me, smoke curling out from between his lips.


    ¡°Ah¡­ well¡­ yes¡­¡±


    The demon stopped mere feet away, examining me with a tilted head and quirked brow. Then he broke into another grin.


    ¡°Oh, this is great,¡± he cackled. ¡°You¡¯re a Legacy. You have to be. It¡¯s part of why I spared you, the sight of that weapon in your hands. But! You don¡¯t have a single clue about what you actually own, do you?¡±


    I decided that honesty was the best policy when dealing with insane pyromaniacs. ¡°I don¡¯t. I¡¯ve tried to find out, but¡­ well, I¡¯m just a mortal.¡±


    ¡°And demons don¡¯t like wasting time on mortals, I know. I¡¯m one of them. You¡¯re not just a mortal though, are you? No, from what I¡¯ve seen, you¡¯re actually somewhat likely to ascend. That would eventually make you one of us, regardless of your origin.¡±


    That surprised me. I knew from Bronwynn that not all demons accepted ascendant members of their species. There was a divide between demons born and raised in the Abyss and the relative ¡®outsiders¡¯ who made their way through blood and carnage, though I still didn¡¯t know how deep it was.


    The demon rolled his eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t look so shocked. Hmmm¡­ Well, you did amuse me, so I suppose I could share a few things with you. Tell me, did you know that another name for weapons like yours is Mage-Killer Armaments?¡±


    ¡°I did not know that, sir.¡±


    ¡°No, I suppose you wouldn¡¯t. You see, soul weapons are exactly that: weapons crafted to bond with your soul and damage the souls of others. When you use a weapon like that, you¡¯re not merely hurting someone¡¯s flesh. You¡¯re cutting into their soul. That¡¯s why people whose bodies can resist soul weapons are extremely rare, and extremely powerful.¡±


    That answered a few questions for me all at once. One of the more useful bits of knowledge I had inherited from Hayden¡¯s education was the link between flesh and soul in mortals. Damage the flesh, and the soul would take some minor damage. But damage the soul? The damage to the flesh would be severe.


    All the times I had sheared straight through someone¡¯s body with little to no resistance flashed through my mind. If I really was chopping through people¡¯s souls, then that would account for the dull blade¡¯s deadliness.


    ¡°I can practically see the flesh slurry in that bony skull of yours doing its job,¡± the demon hiss-laughed, poking my forehead. I froze, but marginally relaxed when his finger didn¡¯t even break skin. ¡°Now, how would that translate to what you did to that mage, hmm?¡±


    I bit my lip, mind working in overdrive. What did I know about mages? They used their soul and mind to interface with mana, imposing their will on the world. So¡­


    ¡°Because the blade disrupts a mage¡¯s connection to their mana?¡± I guessed.


    ¡°Correct! Impressive, for a barely educated mortal. Yes, that blade of yours can cut through spells, including shields, because most mortal mages aren¡¯t strong enough to anchor their mana outside themselves for added stability. Only once they reach the level of an Archmage can they overcome that weakness. Your weapon might even disrupt mana flow in untrained demons! A few weaklings, obviously, but it¡¯s possible. Maybe.¡±


    ¡°In other words, the sword is useless against barriers because they¡¯re anchored outside a mage,¡± I said, hoping to regain a bit of initiative to the conversation and too caught up in finally having some answers to stay silent. ¡°They¡¯re not reliant on the mage¡¯s control over their mana.¡±


    ¡°Well, not entirely. Soul blades are famous because of their ability to cut through both soul and mana. Besides, even the best-laid wards need to be activated first, which means there are traces of a mage¡¯s influence in them. Unfortunately, your little sword is far too dull to cut through a ward like this one.¡±


    ¡°But I could do it, if I upgrade the blade?¡± I asked, my eyes gleaming in spite of my fear.


    The demon scoffed. ¡°Sure, if you could upgrade that thing four or five times. Only the general would have a weapon that powerful, you fool. Besides, by then, you would be strong enough to just obliterate this ward yourself. You can¡¯t count on an object, no matter how prized or useful, to do all the work for you.¡±


    With that bit of wisdom, the demon strolled away, apparently bored of the conversation.


    I let out a sigh of relief and leaned back on the barrier. I was thankful for all I learned from him, but honestly would rather not deal with the stress his presence inspired.


    Before I could get too comfortable, however, a crack rang out far above me. Scrambling back, I looked up to see a glowing fault line spreading through the barrier.


    Our demon mages were making progress.

 Chapter 32: Fall

    The way the locals panicked, you¡¯d think the barrier was already crashing down on their heads. It wasn¡¯t.


    As I hurried back to camp, I saw knights crowding onto the wall. They gripped their weapons desperately, eyes fixed on the demonic mages at work below. True, those demonic mages were all smirking smugly, very pleased with themselves for putting a crack through the powerful dome.


    But things didn¡¯t kick off immediately after that first hairline fracture. If anything, it was just the beginning.


    I found myself admiring Glaustro¡¯s plan. The attack mages had shifted to a staggered pattern, so spells were booming out continuously. Apparently, the constant bombardment made it easier to detect faults in the barrier. This was what allowed the demons to create that first crack.


    Meanwhile, the research-focused team had come together to craft a spell of singular purpose. Myriad lines of power spun over the dome, intersecting to create a pattern greater than a naked eye could track. The magic seeped into the barrier, analyzing its functionality and slowly undermining the entire thing.


    Even so, three hours after that first glowing fracture, the barrier was still standing.


    Sure, the cracks had multiplied and grown, but that wasn¡¯t victory. It was a pitched battle. The demonic mages raced against the defenders, struggling to identify enough weaknesses to bring down the entire mana structure before the local mages could shore it up.


    At one point, the cracks even started to heal, their glow dimming. That was when Glaustro and Graighast summoned the resting mages back to the barrier, and the assault kicked up into ¡®endgame¡¯ mode


    All the demonic mages were more tense and focused than I ever saw an infernal be. Despite their smirks and disparaging comments about mere mortals interspersed between spells, I could tell they were worried. I also thought they were impressed by the work of the human mage who had cooked up the barrier. Not that they would ever admit it, of course.


    Still, their demonic might would not be denied. After a few more rounds from the full group of demonic mages, large holes started opening at the top of the dome. Chunks of the mana structure crumbled away, slowly dissipating as they fell.


    Not all of them dissipated fast enough, however.


    A particularly large chunk failed to disintegrate fully before it reached one of the houses tall enough to peek over the wall. I shuddered at the result. The barrier fragment sheared right through the building like it didn¡¯t even exist, slicing off an entire corner of the house. Masonry, timber, and furniture tumbled to the ground with a resounding crash.


    Frankly, it would have been better for the locals to call it quits right there and bring the barrier down themselves. As I watched, the danger of mortals playing with such power became amply apparent.


    The fragment was only the first warning shot. The disintegration spread down from the top of the dome and sent a rain of lethal mana fragments upon the helpless buildings. The shards tore through everything in their path.


    Local mages appeared on the walls, sending out spells meant to redirect or destroy the barrier fragments. They failed. The shards appeared unaffected by anything other than natural gravity. Each piece was as resilient and unbreakable as the whole dome had been, turning the locals¡¯ pride into their tragic downfall.


    Most devastating was the collapse of the barrier sections closest to the walls.


    I realized our mages had some control over the way the barrier was crumbling because they sent all the fragments directly into the wall itself. The mana shards shredded the mighty brick structure, along with any humans unlucky enough to get caught in the crossfire.


    The confusion and panic on the other side must have been significant. No one thought to order a retreat. I didn¡¯t see even a token effort to get most of their defense force away from the barrage of pure spatial mana pieces. Humans died in droves, with about as much ability to put up a fight as wheat under a harvester¡¯s scythe.


    The demons looked on, their faces glowing with satisfaction.


    I didn¡¯t exactly share in their glee, but I had to admit I didn¡¯t feel as much remorse or disgust as I would have only a week before. Some part of me, a whimpering, battered part, had grown increasingly numb to practically every violent act, short of me taking a life myself. And in that case, an allowance was made for enemy combatants.


    I couldn¡¯t even muster up the energy to be mad about this. For someone in my shoes, numbness was a basic coping mechanism. It wasn¡¯t a luxury, but a necessity.


    Essential.


    Shaking my head, I turned my attention from the grim thoughts inside towards the destruction outside. With a shock, I realized the defenses were far more comprehensive than I initially suspected because the havoc of spatial shards continued under the ground too.


    The barrier must have been a perfect sphere, with a half-dome securing the city¡¯s foundations. Now tremors were shaking the entire landscape in front of us as the mana fragments obliterated those foundations. Dust, dirt, and several buildings¡¯ worth of debris rolled out like a tidal wave in every direction. Only the swift action of our mages, who conjured walls of air and force around the army, kept us from being covered in the filth.


    I wasn¡¯t one hundred percent certain, but I guessed this wasn¡¯t the typical way these types of barriers crumbled. The malice of the demonic mages had almost certainly contributed to this display of devastation.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    It did make for one hell of a message.


    ¡°Soldiers, prepare!¡± Graighast¡¯s voice boomed over us before the dust cloud had fully settled. ¡°The assault team will go first and clear the way. You know the drill! Focus on the combatants, and combatants only. Support troops, be ready to follow and dispatch civilians and stragglers!¡±


    His troops responded immediately. Even the mages, who had been so laser-focused on bringing the barrier down, immediately broke away and took their place in the formation, which then advanced in lockstep. The mortal portion of the troop, or the ¡®support forces¡¯ as he¡¯d dubbed them, watched the assault team leave. Then they followed at just enough distance to be not entirely useless.


    It was a neat yet curious way of handling things. In a way, he was both coddling and stifling the potential of his mortal soldiers, but I couldn¡¯t exactly protest the treatment. The demons were unlikely to spare the mortals any souls in this particular clash anyway. Or perhaps Graighast¡¯s influence was such that his troops would actually obey their orders and avoid obliterating any civilians they encountered.


    Then again, I knew my own troop would not be as thoughtful.


    ¡°Well?! What are you waiting for? Get in there, you useless whelps!¡±


    As if to prove me right, Glaustro¡¯s voice joined his brother¡¯s, whipping the demons under his command into a frenzy. Their eyes were literally glowing with bloodlust as they surged forward in a wave quite unlike the well-organized advance of our allies.


    More importantly, Glaustro gave no order that mortals should hang back or sit the battle out.


    Thankful for that, I pumped as much mana through my body as I could and shot off. This time, I was solidly ahead of any other mortal. My feet practically left gouges in the ground when I kicked off, and I felt a thrill of satisfaction at how well my body was responding.


    The boost wasn¡¯t just physical either.


    I had difficulties with my stolen skills in the past. The absorbed souls had fought to displace my identity. Even my bonded weapon had occasionally felt awkward in my grip. But now?


    I was an apprentice mage in possession of a soul blade. Mana vibrated through me as I ran, allowing me to leverage each technique to the fullest. I was powerful, confident, and free of any whispered distractions from some dead person¡¯s memories.


    Perhaps it was this newfound state of calm that allowed me to remain clinically detached from everything I saw.


    The word ¡®bloodbath¡¯ didn¡¯t quite encapsulate the scene. Nearly every soul that could wield a weapon had been stationed near the wall, and the barrier collapse had taken its toll on most of them. There were survivors, of course. Survivors with missing limbs, or gaping holes in their bodies where the unstable spatial magic had gouged out chunks of flesh. Only a few were whole, and they were paralyzed with shock.


    Demons reaped them all, regardless of their condition.


    In the past, I had seen the demonic killing machines demonstrate mild glee and general enjoyment as they went about their bloody work. This time, though? Peals of laughter echoed everywhere, accompanied by jeers and taunts over the effectiveness of the barrier. The whole incident really had gotten under the demons¡¯ skin, and they were going to savor every last drop of their revenge to the fullest.


    The whole thing was a tragedy. A personal tragedy at that because there was no way I could hope to get more than one or two souls out of this fiasco. If any.


    The thought sent a crushing wave of urgency tingling through my body. If I didn¡¯t get any souls, I wouldn¡¯t be able to finance my stay in the city. I would be left to camp outside, where desperate mortals who already held a grudge against me were likely to stalk the night.


    Maybe they would refrain from slitting my throat while I slept. Maybe. I just didn¡¯t like the idea of leaving things up to chance.


    It was in this frenzy of panic that I spotted something.


    I was running down a street with some kind of canal along its side. A rain channel, if I had to bet, with barely a trickle of water at the bottom. The canal itself wasn¡¯t worth noticing. What really caught my attention were the narrow stairs that led down into the channel, and the bloody handprint on the wall by those stairs.


    Not an odd sight in a city getting slaughtered by demons. But then I saw muddy footprints on the stairs, continuing along the channel.


    Perhaps whoever had left the blood behind was still alive¡­ and fleeing.


    I was struck by indecision. On the one hand, there was a chance I could follow the trail and discover a whole group of retreating soldiers. Normal, human soldiers I could doubtlessly dispatch with only mild risk. On the other, trying to chase them down would definitely put me well behind the advancing tide of demonic death and the scavengers that trailed after it.


    Curses slipped from my lips freely as I made my decision and dove for the stairs. In the end, even if I ventured deeper into the city, the only thing I was guaranteed to find were corpses. This way, I at least had the hope of claiming enough souls to secure a comfortable stay at an inn for a couple of days.


    My feet made loud splashing noises as I thundered down the channel. It was much tighter down here than it had looked from above. Not enough to make me feel claustrophobic, since I could stretch my arms out fully and just barely brush against the walls, but still.


    At least it made it easier to track my quarry.


    They were definitely bleeding, and copiously at that. The smears of blood they left behind were impossible to miss. The stains switched from one wall to the other as I ran, making me wonder if this was a group of injured people, or a single person too unsteady to run straight.


    I still couldn¡¯t see anyone, and my view ahead was unobstructed until the channel took a sharp right turn far in the distance.


    Did I lose them already, somehow? Was I wrong about how fresh the blood is?


    The chance that I was wasting my time clawed at my insides. It was a mistake I literally could not afford.


    When I finally came upon the small passage carved into the wall to my left, I almost missed it. The opening was too painfully small to be called a proper doorway. Still, the lack of blood stains ahead of me and the clear impression of a bloody palm pressed into the side of the opening told me exactly where my quarry had gone.


    Taking a deep breath, I squirmed my annoyingly broad shoulders through the entrance, then pulled the rest of me through.


    To my relief, the tunnel was much wider than the doorway. In fact, it was wider than the channel I had just left. This was good news for any combat I might need to engage in down here.


    The tunnel was dark, but I could just catch a quivering light far ahead of me. I set off immediately, heedless of whether I could be detected or not. I was fully betting on a scarcity of hiding spots, and on this occasion, I hit the mark.


    A man startled at my loud approach and turned towards me. His face was lined with the creases of age, angular features framed by a neatly trimmed beard. His light blue robes, edged in gold, were of superb make. Judging by their subtle glow, they were also enchanted.


    The man¡¯s bearing and countenance might once have been stately enough to strike fear into an observer all on their own. Now, however, the effect was rather ruined by the blood streaming out of his ears, nose, mouth, and eyes.


    The mage, because he could be nothing else, looked a step away from death.


    Unfortunately, if the rapidly expanding glow around his hands was any indication, he did not want to go quietly into the night.

 Chapter 33: Merits

    I had a healthy respect for mages. Especially when I had no idea exactly how powerful they were. This mage, though, was badly wounded. He was fleeing for his life from a demonic invasion. He was trapped in a tunnel, struggling just to walk.


    So I did the only thing that made sense to me at the time.


    I rushed him.


    The disdain that spread across his face told me exactly how he felt about that. But he must¡¯ve been more than just a pampered researcher, since even with the rapidly approaching threat, he managed to raise a glowing hand.


    A spell shattered in front of me, its jagged edges spreading like cracks through air. I barely threw myself aside in time. One of the edges brushed against my bare upper arm, disintegrating a line of flesh instantly.


    I had to bite back a scream as I turned my forward roll into a spring. Leaping towards the mage, I brought my sword down on his left hand.


    The man had all of a moment to sneer at me before his hand hit the ground, and he screamed. My blade had sheared right through the faint glow he probably thought would protect him. He clutched the bleeding stump, staring wide-eyed at his severed hand.


    This meant he wasn¡¯t focusing on me. My position made it difficult to swing again immediately, but I could and did slam the pommel of my sword directly into his face. A purple glow covered his skin right before impact, but whatever property my sword possessed that allowed it to tear through soul-stuff clearly applied to the whole weapon, not just the blade.


    The mage screamed again when his nose crunched in a spray of blood. He reeled backwards, his head hitting the wall with a satisfying crack. Hopefully, the impact would stun him for at least a moment.


    I took a step closer, looming over him, and raised my sword above my left shoulder for a decapitating blow.


    That¡¯s when my luck ran out.


    This time, when the mage screamed, his voice manifested as a wall of purple force that slammed into my chest and took me right off my feet. I hurtled away and up, hitting the ceiling of the tunnel with an even sharper crack.


    To add insult to injury, the asshole known as ¡®gravity¡¯ immediately reasserted its control, and I plummeted to the grimy ground of the tunnel. The crash rattled my bones. Plate armor is great only until it lands on you and knocks the breath out of your lungs. If it weren¡¯t for the superb leather undershirt I was absolutely going to thank Yules for, the plate probably would have dug straight through my skin.


    I didn¡¯t have a ton of time to groan on the ground. I could already hear the crackling of mana. Pushing myself sideways, I managed to roll away just before a spell gouged through the stone I had been lying on.


    I raised my blurry eyes and cursed when I spotted the mage staggering to his feet. He was in even worse shape and had an unfocused look in his eyes, but those eyes were glowing angrily with the color of his elemental mana, so he was still a formidable threat.


    I threw myself forward, desperate to take him out before he could wrestle himself under control and decimate me with a major spell. But the second I started moving, his eyes snapped into focus, glaring in my direction.


    The look of pure hate he sent me was nearly enough to freeze me in place.


    I pressed onward against my rising dread. His last spell had flung me too far away. There was nothing I could do to stop whatever was coming next as he raised his one good hand.


    Then he stumbled.


    His skin went deathly pale. His eyes almost rolled back into his skull. The glow of his mana flickered, stuttered, and went out.


    I didn¡¯t hesitate.


    My sword came up. Forcing every bit of my mana into a boost of speed, I closed the distance between us in a single instant. His eyes cleared just in time to see my descending blade.


    I didn¡¯t quite manage to hit his neck, but my sword clearly didn¡¯t care. It sheared right through his lower jaw and whatever else was in the way in a glorious shower of blood.


    For once, I didn¡¯t care how long it would take me to wash it all out. Even the stench and unidentified grime in the tunnel couldn¡¯t stop my heart¡¯s victorious drumming inside my chest.


    The mage had been powerful. I wasn¡¯t sure what kind of mana he¡¯d been using, but it was far stronger than any human mage I had encountered so far. Something do with force? Or maybe¡­ space?


    The thought gave me pause.


    All the demons had freaked out over a barrier, or ward, or whatever they liked to call it, made out of space mana. What would it mean for this city to have a spatial mana-wielding mage around? Were there more of them? I didn¡¯t know.


    What I did know was that If I hadn¡¯t come across this particular mage when he was practically at death¡¯s door, he could have obliterated me with a vague wave of his hand in my direction.


    But I had conquered him. His soul was mine.


    That heady realization sent my hand reaching towards my soul purse. Immediately, my muscles locked up as sparks of pain danced all over my rib cage. I resisted the urge to collapse and cry, but I failed to hold in a whimper.


    Cracked ribs, at the very least. Maybe broken.


    I purposefully did not go poking around to discover the extent of the damage. Hayden was trained in some basic first aid, but that was it. Since demons could just resurrect from any mortal wound, they weren¡¯t all that invested in advanced medical training. Surprise, surprise. Sure, there were healers around, like the one Graighast sent to me after the Proving Grounds, but they were few and far between.


    Gasping in pain, I rifled through the many pouches attached to my amazing belt and pulled out the only healing potion I possessed. Then I stared at the little vial, pondering. Was it really wise to use it now? It was supposedly capable of bringing people back from the brink of death. And it had cost me twenty souls. Could I justify chugging it over a few cracked ribs?If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    In the end, with great reluctance, I put the potion away and staggered to my feet. It wasn¡¯t that I didn¡¯t value my health and wellbeing. I just didn¡¯t want to waste the precious item, especially if the army was about to spend a few days resting.


    Besides, I was an apprentice mage. The healing potion wasn¡¯t my only option.


    I did an experimental run of the body strengthening and mana gathering technique, focusing the mana flow on my rib cage. The strengthening technique dulled the pain and enabled me to move freely, while the mana gathering technique actually started a slow healing process in my ribs.


    Good call on the potion.


    Proud of myself for not squandering an important resource, I dipped my hand into my purse. The new soul was easy to identify. I pulled it out, marveling at how much bigger it was than the basic and lesser souls I already had.


    Staring at the twisted face of the mage trapped inside the crystal, I had exactly one second to savor the elation that bloomed inside my chest before it was swept away by dread.


    This was not a greater soul like Clarinette¡¯s.


    It was superior.


    I could tell immediately. The size, the inner light, the spectacle of mana dancing in fractal patterns¡­ considering what a desecration it was to trap a human soul like this, the crystal was stunningly beautiful.


    But no matter how beautiful or useful it was, this soul was also liable to get me in trouble. In a few different ways.


    For one thing, even a demon would be tempted by a superior soul. If anyone in the camp found out I had it, well¡­ murder did net at least a portion of the souls trapped within a soldier¡¯s purse.


    And someone would find out. The demons had a way of tracking what each soldier earned during the invasion. Hell, it was probably the soul purses, which came from the army and which even demons carried around. I could still remember how the demoness in the bank who greeted me with, ¡®Our system detects that you are currently in possession of 158 souls.¡¯ Not a lot of room for misunderstanding there.


    Of course, the soul wouldn¡¯t have time to bite me in the ass if I could just hunker down, wait until the city fell and transformed, then beelined to the nearest Absorption Station. But I couldn¡¯t. I didn¡¯t have enough other souls to cover the cost of absorbing a superior soul.


    I was also terrified to try.


    Clarinette, a greater soul, had almost consumed me with her memories. If I really tried to absorb a superior soul, who would walk away from the station? Me, or a reincarnation of the mage I killed?


    I shuddered at the thought. No, trying to claim the mage¡¯s skills was not a viable option at the moment.


    So what was? What should I do?


    Anger flared in my chest. By all accounts, I should be praised for my actions. I managed to take out a powerful enemy mage, all on my own! But instead of enjoying my reward, all I could think of was how to avoid getting shanked at the first opportunity.


    If I had the strength to defend myself, or if I could just gobble up the soul the way a demon could, I¡­


    I let the thought trail off as a new option presented itself to me. Staring at the tunnel wall, I let the idea take shape in my mind.


    Not a perfect solution. Not even a great one. But, it¡¯s better than what I¡¯ve got.


    With a sigh, and then a groan of pain as my ribs reminded me that yes, they still hurt, I forced myself to start moving.


    It didn¡¯t take long to get back to the tunnel entrance, though wiggling through its opening was significantly more painful this time. I had no trouble retracing my steps along the channel and up the stairs to street level. Making my way out of the city and back to camp was not a chore, even if my ribs forced me to move at a leisurely pace.


    The next part of my little scheme was going to be a bit trickier though.


    Instead of heading towards my tent, I forced my feet in the direction of the partially assembled tent where the commanders were sitting to watch the conquest of the city. Only the rain-fly was actually attached to the tent poles, providing shade for the two demons as they lounged, drinks in hand.


    It should have been a relaxing picture, but there was an underlying tension between the demons. Even the two guards they each had stationed at the perimeter of the tent seemed on edge. The scene felt more like bitter enemies sharing a drink than the fellowship of two brothers.


    My mind swam as I walked towards them, struggling to remember all Hayden¡¯s military etiquette lessons from his childhood. Thanks to those lessons, I knew to head directly towards the two guards who belonged to my commander. I also knew to keep my eyes down, my shoulders straight, and my head at the right angle.


    My ribs really didn¡¯t like any of the posturing.


    ¡°Excuse me, sir, I urgently need to speak to Sergeant Glaustro, if he can see me.¡± I addressed the guard closest to me, a demon completely covered in plate armor. This seemed to be a rarity among demon soldiers. I had only ever seen two other demons wear full plate.


    I was keeping my eyes on the ground, but I could feel the weight of the demon¡¯s gaze as he sized me up, trying to determine if a mere human was worth the commander¡¯s attention.


    Then, to my great shock, the commander¡¯s voice rang out from within the ¡®tent.¡¯


    ¡°Oh, let him through, Dominique. If he¡¯s wasting my time, I¡¯ll take him apart myself.¡±


    To my further shock, Glaustro sounded more amused than annoyed.


    ¡°Go on then,¡± the guard declared gruffly, and I scurried to obey before either of them could change their minds.


    ¡°Sergeant, sir.¡± I continued with the pointless pageantry, bowing my head when I was exactly two yards away from the demon.


    ¡°Proceed, soldier. I want you to know I wasn¡¯t joking. This better be good. I was just about to enter the city myself and claim it as an outpost for our legion.¡±


    The words were harsh, but they lacked some of the commander¡¯s usual bite. Strange.


    I took a deep breath, stepped forward, then fell on one knee. Reaching into my soul purse, I drew forth the mage¡¯s soul and presented it with both hands, the way a poor subject might hold up an offering to a tyrant king.


    ¡°Sir, when I entered the city, I spotted tracks leading off into a rainwater channel. I decided to pursue, thinking that an enemy force might be trying to sneak out. Instead of mere soldiers, I encountered a powerful enemy mage trying to flee the city. I don¡¯t know what he was looking for, but he was near death when I found him. That is the only reason I won. He wielded an unusual mana element which reminded me of the barrier we encountered, so I thought it best to present his soul to you.¡±


    I concluded my speech and waited, heart thundering in my chest.


    The idea had occurred to me when I remembered the ease with which demons could absorb souls. Power, memories¡­ demons could slurp up both with no risk of identity displacement. And after witnessing the near panic caused by the barrier, I was banking hard on the notion that the commanders would want to know more about it. Maybe they would even reward a human who brought the info to them.


    ¡°You better not be lying to me, soldier. If you are just wasting my time¡­¡± The demon trailed off, but the eagerness in his voice gave me hope.


    The soul was snatched away from me, and I let my arms fall while I dared a peek at the demons. Glaustro¡¯s eyes blazed with desire as he stared at the soul in his hands. Graighast was watching his brother with equal intensity.


    Then my commander threw the soul into his mouth and closed his jaws with a resounding crack. I had to blink several times as I struggled to conceal my astonishment. I¡¯d heard demons use expressions like ¡®devouring a soul,¡¯ but I never understood how literal it was until that moment.


    The demon closed his eyes and settled into his chair. The only sign of action was the wild twitching of his eyelids.


    When he finally sighed and opened his eyes, I didn¡¯t need the vicious smile on his face or any words of affirmation to validate my decision to bring the soul to him.


    No, I had much more direct proof as my brand flared with a message.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; box-shadow: 1px 1px 1px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.75); background: rgba(0, 75, 122, 1); border: 1px solid rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.25); width: 100%; color: rgba(204, 204, 204, 1); padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 10px" border="1"><colgroup><col style="width: 99.9359%"></colgroup>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Alert!


    You have a new Merit added to your service record:


    Berlis, city of Flaurmere siege contribution (Radiant Merit x1)


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>

 Chapter 34: Status

    ¡°Judging by both of your expressions, I assume you have news to share, brother?¡± Graighast drawled with a smile.


    Glaustr¡¯s face immediately soured, but he still replied. ¡°Indeed. We now know exactly how they managed to pull off a barrier this advanced. Really, it¡¯s¡­ impressive that such a weak world could produce a rank five barrier.¡± The admission seemed to cause Glaustro physical pain.


    ¡°A rank five? Really?¡± Graighast, on the other hand, sounded more intrigued than angry. ¡°Even with what we saw, I thought it would reach rank three, four at the most¡­ How did they manage this?¡±


    ¡°Chance. Chance, and pure insanity. I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m saying this, but they actually benefited from our invasion. If their civilization could somehow survive, I¡¯m sure they could advance rapidly in the coming centuries. Decades, even,¡± Glaustro ground out.


    ¡°Meaning what, exactly, brother?¡±


    ¡°Meaning, they first studied our portal to accrue knowledge of spatial magic, then somehow got their hands on a crystallized soul or two. Well, we can¡¯t give most of them much credit. It¡¯s all down to one mage, really. One Reliana Tingent. She revolutionized their understanding of spatial phenomena, then proceeded to meddle with the soul crystals. She seems to have devised a sacrificial ritual that allows them to burn souls for fuel.¡±


    Graighast recoiled away from Glaustro, eyes wide. ¡°In a world this bereft of mana? With such a low level of mana theory and only a primitive knowledge of ascension? What is she, a Grand Mage at most? How is she still sane? Most mortals that meddle with such fields of magic before hitting Archmage go mad within a week!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± And Glaustro looked crushed to admit that. ¡°This particular mage met her just days ago. As far as he knew, she¡¯s sane enough to function, at least.¡±


    ¡°Met her? Is she in the city? Or one of the nearby settlements?¡±


    ¡°No. She¡¯s based in the capital. Apparently, before this whole mess, she was considered an apostate mage and imprisoned for her crimes of experimentation on humans. She was only allowed to leave her prison when we started forcing open the portal, so she could study it. They¡¯re keeping her in the capital, under careful watch.¡±


    ¡°The capital? That¡¯s almost a month¡¯s journey away, as far as the local mortals are concerned! How could this mage have met her days ago then?¡±


    Glaustro took a deep breath and massaged his forehead before answering. ¡°The barrier was not the only thing she came up with. She also theorized a bare-bones teleportation network. Only the lack of a stable mana source stopped her from developing both.¡±


    ¡°And then she discovered how to use souls to do that¡­¡±


    Was that awe I detected in Graighast¡¯s voice? Surely not.


    Glaustro nodded. ¡°And then she discovered how to burn souls for mana, which led to the teleportation. This¡­. changes things. Not significantly enough to impede the invasion, but still. The general will likely want to claim her for himself. You know how much he loves to recruit promising locals.¡±


    If bitterness could be used to fuel spells, then Glaustro could have reduced all his enemies to ash in that very moment.


    ¡°True. Soul-to-mana conversion rates are not the most optimal, but the results speak for themselves. If our mages hadn¡¯t managed to discover faults in the barrier, they could have kept us at bay for months.¡± Graighast shook his head and settled back into his chair. ¡°We need to inform the general of this development immediately.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I know, I¡¯m not stupid,¡± Glaustro snapped. Then he gritted his teeth together, barely containing his anger. ¡°You should go ahead. Claim the city as quickly as you can, but don¡¯t think you can get ahead of me and report this yourself! I¡¯ll be right there. I just need to deal with him.¡±


    He gestured carelessly at me.


    I couldn¡¯t hold back an audible gulp, much to Graighast¡¯s amusement. I hadn¡¯t meant to listen in. Could I help it if they were just talking right in front of me? Still, I was keenly aware that I¡¯d probably overheard far more than a mere recruit should know.


    Glaustro didn¡¯t address me immediately. Instead, he waited for Graighast and his two guards to depart before turning his full attention on me.


    With only him and his own handpicked guards present, I knew he could execute me on the spot. No one would ever know. Even fewer would care.


    ¡°Of all the surprises I expected when I took up my post, owing a mortal thanks twice was not one of them.¡±


    The words were surprising enough, but it was the almost friendly tone of his voice that floored me.


    Glaustro went on, ¡°Don¡¯t look so shocked, mortal. I didn¡¯t mention it, but I am thankful that you stepped up when you did. Without you, the Proving Grounds would have gone rather differently. Just forcing my brother¡¯s demon to challenge a mortal was a significant victory. If it were another commander and not him, you would have been assassinated by now, whether I tried to protect you or not.¡±


    Oh.


    I hadn¡¯t thought of that.


    The demon burst into laughter. ¡°Your face, ha. Yes, you did something risky. Still, it paid off, didn¡¯t it? And in turn, I provided training that I knew you would be suited for. You showed a fair bit of talent for mana manipulation during your bouts. You should cherish that talent. I¡¯ll tell you right now that demons with a true talent for mana are far more valued than ¡®mere¡¯ warriors.¡±


    There was anger in these words, and deep bitterness, though I made a real effort to pretend I didn¡¯t notice.


    ¡°Anyway, I do believe you deserve something more than another round of training this time. You¡­ you¡¯re an ambitious little mortal, aren¡¯t you? You want to ascend. No, don¡¯t say anything. It¡¯s not a bad thing. Still, I do wonder if you know what you¡¯re signing up for.¡±


    The demon eyed me a moment longer, then raised his head sharply toward his guards. ¡°Leave us. Go and secure the teleportation anchor. Make sure neither my brother nor his lackeys use it to report to the general before I do.¡±


    The guards quickly saluted the sergeant and hurried off into the depths of the city. We both watched them go until they disappeared out of view.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    Only then did the commander speak again.


    ¡°Would it change anything, if I told you that you will struggle even after you ascend? Unless you put in considerable effort, you will not be reborn stronger than a baseline demon. An ascended baseline demon, at that. It is not a truth set in stone, but you¡¯ll probably lack some of the advantages Abyss-born demons have. Wings, tail, venom, and more. They are born with dangerous and useful weapons and abilities. You¡¯ll have a harder time carving out a place for yourself. A harder time ascending the ranks of the legion.¡±


    His eyes were intense. Whether he had intended it or not, they had ignited with that intimidating inner flame. Despite that, and despite the terrifying weight of his scrutiny, I felt compelled to speak.


    ¡°I have to try. It would still be better than¡­ this.¡±


    The stern gaze lingered a few more seconds. Then he smiled.


    I was caught off guard by how much it softened his face. When not creased in an angry grimace, Glaustro¡¯s countenance was downright handsome.


    ¡°I see,¡± the demon said wistfully. ¡°You remind me far too much of myself.¡±


    My gasp of shock probably wasn¡¯t the best answer, but rather than sending him into a rage, it only amused him further.


    ¡°Tell me, could you guess that I¡¯m an ascended demon?¡± he asked.


    I shook my head, and he sighed.


    ¡°You see, when my brother and I ascended, we thought it would be a fresh start for us. Two refugees of a conquered world, now officially part of the Abyss! I wanted to prove myself. I strove to be better. Stronger. I earned as many merits as I could, hoping that I could rise through the ranks of the legion. And do you know what happened? Well?¡±


    My mind immediately went back to the day we were introduced to our new commander, and then to a few comments Graighast had made. ¡°You were overlooked.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I was overlooked. No matter what I did, no matter how strong I got, I was overlooked. My brother was in the same position, until he decided to play their games. I refused. I didn¡¯t want my worth to be judged by how far up someone¡¯s arse I could shove my tongue. I refused to ¡®make connections¡¯ and ¡®promote my worth,¡¯ as my brother put it. So he advanced, and I didn¡¯t. I didn¡¯t because I refused to hide the fact that I was once human.¡±


    I very carefully did not react to his description of what was necessary to advance within the legion, but it made me uneasy. After all, the Glaustro I knew was not at all proud of his roots. What had changed?


    His next words confirmed my suspicions.


    ¡°I refused, until I didn¡¯t have the will or the patience to struggle anymore. I put souls in the right hands. I flattered the right people. And what happened? A promotion, within a couple of months, just like that!¡±


    There was unmistakable anger in his voice. His hands closed around the armrests of his chair with enough force to make them creak.


    ¡°And then I run into my brother again. The same brother I scorned and denounced when he was promoted and left me. The same brother who¡¯s now acting like he missed me, and is all eager to reconnect.¡±


    Glaustro¡¯s face was all twisted up in anger again. I held my breath, quietly wondering when he would decide he had said a bit too much and it was time to kill me.


    But then, the demon slumped, all the fight draining out of him. He stared at the ground blankly. For many long minutes, neither of us spoke.


    ¡°Well, do you still want to ascend, mortal? I could promise you an enviable life as a mortal,¡± he asked sardonically, his eyes rising to meet my own.


    There were several things I wanted to say. All of them would get me killed. After all, it was easy to whine when you were a superior being that could not be fully killed without a lot of effort under very specific circumstances.


    Thankfully, even if he was reading my emotions, they couldn¡¯t give me away this time. It was resignation that dominated my heart.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    He nodded. ¡°I assumed as much. I did say you remind me of myself. Very well, then. In that case¡­¡±


    The demon conjured a piece of parchment and a quill with a wave of his hand. The parchment affixed itself in midair, letting him scribble on it effortlessly.


    My lips curled into a mirthless smile. This was exactly why I couldn¡¯t have given an answer other than ¡®yes.¡¯


    Status was great, but it could only get me so far. Sure, I wanted to climb the ranks of the legion. I wanted to secure a more comfortable life for myself by guaranteeing that no one would casually challenge me.


    But status paled in comparison to the safety and power offered by ascension.


    A demon didn¡¯t have to fear death nearly as much as a mortal. Their very nature afforded them control over mana that any mortal would envy. And speaking of mana, their mana reserves were literally out of this world, or any material plane, really.


    My internal monologue was interrupted by a satisfied hum, and I refocused on my commander.


    He scanned the parchment one final time, then snapped his fingers. It rolled up and tied itself shut with a little scarlet bow. Conjuring a drawstring bag out of nowhere, the demon snatched it and the parchment out of the air.


    ¡°Here,¡± he said, thrusting both objects at me. ¡°Your rewards. In the purse, you will find fifty greater souls. I picked them out at random, so I can¡¯t guarantee what knowledge or skills you might be able to earn from them. The scroll, meanwhile, is meant for the local quartermaster. You can trust them not to cheat you or snatch a part of your reward. All administrators are under close scrutiny by the general. I¡¯m not saying the system is perfect, but at least out here, in the field, they¡¯re not brave enough to steal.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ Thank you, sir!¡±


    I meant that, truly and sincerely. Fifty greater souls were the equivalent of five hundred basic ones. Oh, I knew I couldn¡¯t save every single one. I had to pay for inns and food and the like. Still, even minus a few expenses, this got me about halfway to my ascension cost.


    Or so I thought.


    ¡°Don¡¯t thank me. These are your earnings, in light of the crucial intelligence you provided.¡±


    Glaustro¡¯s eyes bored into me. I got the sense he knew exactly what I was thinking.


    ¡°What you can thank me for is advice,¡± he went on, ¡°and my advice to you is this: don¡¯t hoard those souls. If you can become powerful enough, you¡¯ll be able to save up quickly for your ascension. As you are, you¡¯ll just get crushed along the way, or you won¡¯t even be able to contest the souls that are up for grabs. Five hundred souls mean nothing if they¡¯re stolen and can¡¯t become part of your strength.¡±


    I winced, knowing he was right. In my current state, even with all my progress, I couldn¡¯t hope to keep up with demons when they really let loose. All I could do was pray they left me some scraps.


    Glaustro continued to study me. ¡°I can see you understand your position. The scroll will help you get stronger, so unless you find a useful skill in one of those souls I gave you, you should spend them on equipment. Your armor is excellent, even if I don¡¯t recognize the crafter¡¯s mark. Still, you can never be too careful.¡±


    I glanced down at the mark, which I¡¯d spent significant time admiring. A stylized demonic rune for number five, overlaid by the crossed hammer and needle.


    ¡°Thank you, sir. And it¡¯s the mark of Yules, daughter of Tibath, owner of Amahis Armory.¡±


    Glaustro¡¯s eyebrows climbed almost to the top of his forehead. Clearly, he recognized the armory¡¯s name.


    ¡°Truly? I did not know she had a daughter¡­ how did you afford their armor?¡±


    ¡°Ah¡­ She is still an apprentice armorer, sir,¡± I admitted with a blush. Still, scary demon commander or not, I did promise to promote Yules¡¯ work. ¡°She¡¯s going to have her armor displayed in the shop soon.¡±


    ¡°A lucky turn of events that you met her then. How did you encounter her?¡±


    ¡°Her mother has temporarily moved her shop to the city where you took command of our troop, sir.¡±


    ¡°Zuri¡¯s Glen? Interesting¡­ perhaps I ought to pay a visit to the city myself, once we¡¯re done here.¡± The commander rose from his chair. ¡°Enough dallying. My brother is ready to stake his claim, and I must hurry to report to the general.¡±


    Even as he spoke, a wave of mana washed over us. I glanced in the direction of the city to see the transformation was already underway. Collapsed houses shimmered like a mirage before melting away completely, replaced by demon-owned shops. The ruined streets cleared and rearranged themselves into an orderly network.


    In the blink of an eye, the city was up and running. Just as quickly, Glaustro vanished from my side, leaving me behind.


    I let out a long, weary sigh of relief. I was going to walk away from the whole thing with far more than I had dared to hope, but I still felt wrung out. My ribs ached. My nerves felt permanently twisted by the tension of the past few hours.


    Then I glanced at the scroll in my hand, and passion reignited in my chest. I had no idea what it would net me when I finally tracked down a quartermaster, but if Glaustro¡¯s promise held true, I wouldn¡¯t be disappointed.


    I set off at a quick trot, eager to claim my reward.


    Not even cracked ribs could stop me now.

 Chapter 35: Layers

    If I didn¡¯t know any better, I would have thought the surly, blue-skinned demoness who served as quartermaster in this new demonic outpost particularly disliked me. She certainly stalled long enough after I handed her the scroll, grumbling and muttering and clearly in no hurry to open it.


    Thankfully, I did know better. Having watched her interact with six other demons, two of whom arrived after I did, I felt confident that she wasn¡¯t singling me out for being a human.


    No, she just hated everyone equally.


    I could understand someone loathing a customer service job, especially in an actual demonic legion. But all her customers were careful to give her no trouble. In fact, every demon I saw in the shop was exceedingly polite. A couple of them downright simpered in her presence.


    Her presence¡­ this was a demonic power I hadn¡¯t encountered before. Her aura permeated the small room, heavy and ominous, coating the air and making it hard to breathe. The effect worsened the closer one got to her. As I stood at the counter, waiting for her to open the scroll she was still waving around, it took all I had not to keel over.


    I wasn¡¯t the only one suffering either. Three of the demons who walked in after me stumbled at the threshold. Only their supernatural reflexes saved them from taking a nosedive.


    She was clearly a powerful demon. No one was going to mess with her. So why was she being such a nuisance about doing her job? I didn¡¯t know, but I strongly suspected it came down to amusement. She seemed to relish forcing everyone to wait and suffer.


    This might have been a bigger deal if we weren¡¯t part of the Legion of Torment. Really, it was right there in the name. Considering the agony we endured on a regular basis, I could put up with mild inconvenience much longer than this.


    Especially since a demoness this powerful could easily splatter me across the walls with one flick of her tail.


    Finally, after complaining for fifteen minutes, she ripped open the scroll and scanned it. She then did an abrupt double-take before raising her wide eyes to meet my confused ones.


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know what you did, but¡­¡± the demoness sighed, her annoyance replaced by genuine hesitation. ¡°Do I even have enough supplies for this?¡±


    After asking herself this question, she hurried into the back of the supply depot.


    I strained to see past the door, but the room beyond was lost in shadow. I did hear more grumbling though, accompanied by the noise of objects being banged around, so I assumed she was at least searching for whatever Glaustro had declared I should have.


    At long last, just when I started to wonder if I should go talk to Glaustro about the difficulties I was having, the demoness emerged.


    She held a grimy, slightly stained backpack in her left hand. ¡°Here,¡± she grunted, depositing it roughly on the counter. ¡°I even included this amazing bag as an apology.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, ma¡¯am. I don¡¯t see why you should apologize at all.¡± I kept my voice carefully neutral. Just because she was acting a bit more likable didn¡¯t mean a splattering wasn¡¯t on the menu.


    She looked tempted to spit on me. ¡°Not for my behavior, you idiot mortal. I failed to provide what your patron demanded of me. We don¡¯t exactly have ten thousand superior grade mana crystals just lying around. We demons rarely use those.¡± She scoffed, her eyes glowing with demonic pride. ¡°I did manage to scrounge together five thousand. You¡¯ll have to make do with greater mana crystals for the other half.¡±


    I almost passed out on the spot. Ten thousand superior grade mana crystals¡­ from the memories Clarinette had left me, that sort of wealth could push a mage effortlessly all the way to the highest possible ranks Berlis had ever seen.


    My spinning mind snagged on a problem. Five thousand superior grade mana crystals was one thing. But another five thousand, converted to their ¡®greater¡¯ amount, equaled fifty thousand shiny little mana rocks.


    How was I supposed to walk out of here with all those crystals?!


    I was starting to panic when my eyes fell on the backpack again. She did say she¡¯d thrown it in as an apology. So, while it might have been a rude thing to do right in front of the proprietor, I pulled the backpack to me and examined it.


    It was a sturdy, if simple, backpack, just a hard frame with fabric stretched over it. More like fancy bag than a backpack. Still, it had a flap that could be tied down over the front to keep the contents from spilling.


    Slowly, I untied the two strings keeping the backpack closed and lifted the flap. Much like the door to the back of the supply depot, all I could see was impenetrable darkness. It was a bit like staring into the night sky, or what I imagined the darkness of space to look like.


    An apt comparison, since when I dipped my hands into the backpack, my fingers immediately brushed against mana crystals. I¡¯d never seen or held them of course, but the jolt of power was unmistakable. The mana inside the crystals felt eager, like a single tug of my will could send the mana spiraling down my veins and into my core, where it would help me become more¡­ just more.


    My smile felt much more bloodthirsty than it used to be. ¡°Thank you, this will do very nicely.¡±


    The woman rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. ¡°Yes, yes, I bet it will. Now, please get out of my depot, and tell that patron of yours to give us a warning next time he wants to spoil his pet.¡±


    Not even the demeaning tone of her voice could ruin my mood. ¡°Of course,¡± I said, smile still firmly in place. ¡°Just, before I go¡­¡±


    Ten minutes later, I settled down on the sterile torture chair of an Absorption Station with a sigh.


    Technically, since I wasn¡¯t absorbing a soul, I didn¡¯t need the chair. I could just sit on normal ground and avoid the creeping fear that all those hovering absorption implements would come alive and hack into me for no reason. But my mana senses told me the chair had the highest mana density in the place, so sacrifices had to be made.


    But I couldn¡¯t settle down. I wriggled around in the chair, unable to focus and enter the odd meditative state required by serious mana exertion. Instead, I briefly amused myself by remembering the indignant look on the demoness¡¯s face when I dared ask her for directions to the nearest Absorption Station.


    I didn¡¯t have to go to a station, not really. I could have absorbed the mana crystals anywhere. What prevented me from doing that was plain old good sense.


    True, mana crystals were not as appealing to demons as souls were. Souls were sources of power, sustenance, and knowledge. In comparison, mana crystals were useful batteries and occasional snacks, just for funsies. They weren¡¯t a resource demons would murder you over, generally speaking.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    I still didn¡¯t want anyone to know I had a small fortune in mana crystals just lying around. Absorbing them at an inn would almost certainly tip someone off. Hence, I decided to hide away and do my thing in a risk-free environment.


    A small part of me wanted to do the responsible thing and look through the greater souls from Glaustro first, but giddy anticipation got the better of me.


    I snatched up the backpack and carefully fished out twenty greater mana crystals. I could have started with the superior ones, but there was a real concern that, as a mage apprentice, I couldn¡¯t handle their mana quite yet.


    To be fair, I was probably still pushing it with greater mana crystals. Two things gave me confidence. First was my inherited talent for mana manipulation. Even Hayden¡¯s demonic teachers had praised him for it.


    Second was the experience I had absorbed from Clarinette. She had struggled with a broken core all her life, fighting to corral her mana into doing what she wanted. This made her tough. If there was anyone on Berlis who could handle mana crystals, it would have been her.


    Honestly, it was a shame Berlis was too mana-poor to produce these crystals. If they¡¯d been available locally, Clarinette could have used them to heal her core.


    Gripping a mana stone in each hand, I allowed myself to sink deep into my own body. For a while, I simply admired the smooth flow of mana and savored the way it all coursed through my blood, flesh, and bones, strengthening and refining everything it touched.


    My ribs twinged and pulsed, trying to pull my focus, but that just drew my attention to the way mana interacted with the wound. It was fascinating to watch the mystical force I still knew so little about as it coalesced around the cracks in my bones, slowly filling them in. Not only did the mana heal the wound, but it also enhanced my body¡¯s base material, toughening up the injured area on a fundamental level.


    If I were a glutton for punishment, I might have been tempted to break more of myself just to bounce back with a superior physique. Unfortunately, that was a step too far for me at the moment, especially since it would leave me vulnerable in the middle of a demon army.


    I allowed myself a few more moments of wonder, then took a deep breath.


    It was time to begin.


    As carefully as I could, I stretched a single wisp of mana away from the cycle I established, then pushed it through the center of my palm where my skin met the mana crystal directly. A jolt of power ran through me, and I gasped.


    The mana in the crystal was, for lack of a better word, pure. These crystals had formed deep underground before winding up in the blue demoness¡¯s supply depot. Just like many layers of dirt and stone could filter subterranean water, the layers of earth had filtered the mana, purifying it as it condensed into these crystalline forms.


    The result was a bundle of fundamental energy, so pure and concentrated that it could respond to any command with remarkable ease. That¡¯s what made mana crystals so useful. They could power wards, enhance magic items, and even replenish your mana reserves in the heat of battle.


    They could also be absorbed to grow your mana core. That was my goal for the day.


    Taking another deep breath, I plunged my own mana deep into the crystal, then used the mana as a bridge to pull the crystal¡¯s mana into my body.


    Immediately, I knew I was in trouble.


    While the mana was just lying in the crystal, placid and eager to assist, one could overlook its density and sheer volume. As it raced into my veins, though, that became an utter impossibility.


    This single crystal contained almost as much mana as my entire body.


    Overwhelming it all into obedience was out of the question. The only thing I could do was nudge the torrent of power in the right direction, gradually corralling it into the path I wanted it to follow.


    Wherever it went, my body burned. I heard of mana burnout before, of course, but I never thought the term was so literal.


    The only reason I didn¡¯t pass out was the incredible effect of the mana¡¯s passage on my physique. When I absorbed Clarinette¡¯s soul, it had taken a while for my body to adjust to my new mana core, strengthening and adapting to handle the flow of power. This was a rapid version of that gradual process, and the newfound strength it gave was addicting. It forced me to endure even as tears slid down my cheeks.


    And then, finally, the crystal¡¯s mana reached its destination.


    It slammed into my core with more force than I would have liked, then swirled around, trying to force its way in from every direction. I felt like the mystical core of my body was getting pressed down, squeezed, like in a hydraulic press.


    Some of the mana stuck to the surface of my core, building it up, adding a new layer to my advancement. But most of it couldn¡¯t attach quickly enough, and the pressure continued to build as more and more mana accumulated in one of my most important organs.


    My heart was burning like no other part of my body had.


    Its beating stalled, then sped up erratically, all proper rhythm gone. Dizziness and pain assaulted me in equal measure. I found my focus slipping.


    The only thing that kept me in the moment was the agony radiating from my core. It was consuming the mana as fast as it could, but the process simply wasn¡¯t fast enough. As the crystal¡¯s mana continued to flood my heart, the pressure mounted to levels that were making my core shake.


    For a moment, my mind flashed helplessly to memories not my own.


    I squirmed and whimpered, unable to beg as my mother¡¯s mana gathered in my chest, compressing, squeezing around the mana I had managed to gather on my own. It was starting to coalesce, to form a core.


    Even as it did, the one person I thought I could trust pressed even harder, dissatisfied that I was taking too long.


    My new core formed, then quailed before the superior force. The pain consumed me. But even as I lost consciousness, I heard a resounding crack spread through my very being¡­


    The memory faded, not by choice, but because of the pain growing in my present. My core was shaking harder now. It was on the verge of suffering the same fate as Clarinette¡¯s.


    More memories rose at the thought, of sorrows, of things that should have been done, of remedies to past regrets. They clamored at my consciousness. This time, I gave myself to them willingly.


    I wasn¡¯t sure who I was in those moments. A soldier in an Abyssal army? A failed mage, whose future was ruined by her own mother? My identity was merging with Clarinette¡¯s, and there was no guarantee who would emerge from the chair.


    It didn¡¯t matter.


    All that mattered was speeding up the formation of a new core layer.


    All that mattered was the desperation I shared with the dead woman in my head.


    We squeezed the mana closer, forcing it to compress before it wanted to do so. We struck out with my own mana, forcing the foreign presence to break up into more manageable strands I could then weave into my core. We worked and fought side by side, one in both mind and purpose.


    The moment came suddenly, neither piece of me aware of how close we had finally gotten. Something clicked inside my chest, and my core¡¯s draw on the mana intensified. It guzzled down the full content of that mana crystal, until my fingers were flat against my chest, the object they had been holding now gone.


    I collapsed back into the chair, panting desperately for breath that refused to fill my lungs fully.


    ¡°That was¡­ so stupid¡­¡± I whimpered. ¡°What was I thinking?¡±


    I knew the answer. I wasn¡¯t thinking at all.


    True, neither Clarinette nor I had ever tried to absorb mana from a crystal. I couldn¡¯t have known what it would do to me. Still, that should have made me all the more cautious. If it wasn¡¯t for all the practice Clarinette had done, learning to snatch mana into her core before it could leak out, I would have burned my future as a mortal mage then and there.


    I might have lived, but there¡¯d be no excelling in my ascension to demonic status. In fact, such a blunder almost certainly would have damaged my soul in some irrevocable way. I would have run the risk of ascending as an imp.


    I wasn¡¯t sure I could ever recover from that.


    My mind was still a mess, but ever so slowly, I managed to untangle my essence from the stolen memories. Then I stuffed them back down into my subconscious, where I could keep them contained.


    I had been so nervous about carrying around Clarinette¡¯s essence, even wishing I could erase her memories fully.


    Thank every unholy god, that wasn¡¯t possible.


    I tried to sit up again, but my limbs spasmed and my heart did a weird skip-and-bump that almost made me pass out, so I just collapsed right back into the seat. I didn¡¯t even have the energy to curse. All I managed was a frustrated smile. This was wholly my fault, after all.


    Well, at least I didn¡¯t start with a superior mana crystal. That¡¯s something.


    And it wasn¡¯t even something I could take credit for. I felt tempted to do something nice for the quartermaster, since her inability to provide only superior mana crystals had basically saved my life.


    I changed my mind immediately after thinking about her stupid smug face, but¡­ it¡¯s the thought that counts, right?

 Chapter 36: Invasive Behavior

    I was far more cautious when I turned my attention to the other mana crystal I held. With the first, I had plunged my mana into the thing and simply started claiming its contents.


    That had worked rather too well.


    This time, I tried to be a little more subtle. Rather than just stabbing my will into it to create a connection, I looped a strand of my mana around the crystal, then chipped a piece of it away.


    That wasn¡¯t a great description. It didn¡¯t come close to what I actually did. Then again, how could I describe a whole new layer of reality, senses and sensations included, with completely unique rules of interaction bundled in for extra complexity?


    I couldn¡¯t. The best I could do is to reach for familiar terms grounded in the reality I already knew.


    So, I chipped a piece of the mana crystal away.


    In truth, it was more akin to slipping my presence between the stable layers of mana that made up the crystal, then gently and slowly claiming that portion for myself.


    To my great relief, this worked. I ended up with a small surge of mana in my hand, one that I could handle and direct as I pleased.


    Here¡¯s another image. With the first mana crystal, I had punctured a water balloon carelessly and then struggled to gulp down the contents before it all spilled out. This time, I approached a barrel of water and plunged a cup into it. I could drink at my leisure.


    I didn¡¯t direct the mana towards my core at first. In fact, I was careful to keep the mystical substance from making any contact with that semi-corporeal organ, or the actual organ occupying the same space. My heart was still spasming. I needed to let it recover if I wanted my body to continue basic functioning.


    I started by guiding the mana through the area of my body most heavily damaged by the previous surge. The damage wasn¡¯t necessarily a bad thing. It was the natural first step of toughening myself up.


    The problem was, my body couldn¡¯t absorb the vast amount of mana quickly enough to heal. Instead of a virtuous cycle of damage and healing, I ended up with just progressively more damaged flesh. But now that I was feeding it mana in a trickle, the flesh soaked it all up like a desert would do to rain. Bit by bit, it rejuvenated, tougher and more receptive to mana than ever before.


    By the time I worked the mana-drip around to my heart, I was dead tired and starving to boot. Still, I couldn¡¯t exactly stop what I was doing and go find myself an inn. Not in this condition. I paused just long enough to scarf down some stale rations, but then it was right back to the healing for me.


    My heart was the most difficult to heal. The healing process produced constant pain in whatever part of my body I was targeting, along with an odd sense of itchiness that made me want to either tear my hair out or scratch wildly at the affected area. It shouldn¡¯t have been possible to feel itchiness in some of the places I was healing, but that logic did nothing to stop the torment.


    My heart sent me waves of both sensations, far more strongly than any other area. When I was finally done, I realized I had been squeezing my fist so tightly that I could barely unclench them. My nails had also dug deep into my palm, drawing plenty of blood. I hadn¡¯t gotten a chance to clip them since my awakening as Hayden.


    Funnily enough, the pain of those wounds didn¡¯t even bother me. They stung, sure, but after soul surgery and, to a lesser extent, the mess I just endured, I found it difficult to care.


    I stretched happily, relieved to do so without wincing, then paused when my ribs failed to protest. Cautiously, I poked the spots that had been sore, then grinned.


    Well, what do you know! Nearly frying myself through mana-burn is good for something!


    Of course, the only reason the mana healed me so quickly was that it was pure mana, rather than a mana-attack by an enemy mage. Pure mana naturally melted into the core or body of a mage easily. If the damage sustained was from an enemy spell or direct mana invasion, the enemy mana would linger and refuse to break down. At that point, my body would turn into a battlefield. I would have to first put out the metaphorical fires before I could even attempt to heal.


    I certainly wasn¡¯t going to try and replicate the feat anytime soon, but I definitely filed the experience away for future use. If I ever had any life-threatening injuries, healing myself with mana was a solid last resort option. The chances that it would save me rather than kill me when I was already heavily wounded were about sixty-forty in favor of my survival, but that was better than the alternative of ¡®do nothing.¡¯


    Now that my body was all better, I briefly contemplated trying to grow my mana core again. I hadn¡¯t been able to feel it when I was in such horrible condition, but without agony clouding my mind, it felt like I was¡­ more.


    My thoughts felt more nimble. My mana senses were just a bit sharper. Even the speed at which mana answered my call was improved. It was a holistic, if small, step forward.


    I had the resources to keep going. It would probably take more than one mana crystal to add another layer to my core, but instinctively, I knew the difference wouldn¡¯t be that big. I would need to progress through another three layers before I hit the next big jump.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    That would also be the point when I would officially graduate from the status of a ¡®mere¡¯ mage apprentice, and gain the ability to wield true spells. Beginner true spells, but true spells, nonetheless!


    Unfortunately, I didn¡¯t think I could afford to make that push just yet. It wasn¡¯t anything physical, but a part of me felt¡­ strained. My soul was like a muscle I had never bothered to exercise before, suddenly put through a wringer. If I kept going, there was a real chance that I could damage said muscle, and then I would have to waste a ton of time and resources on my recovery.


    So, reluctant as I was, I pulled out the souls Glaustro had gifted to me.


    They were, well, disappointing. I knew he wouldn¡¯t hand off any particularly impressive souls so easily, even to a mortal who had hunted down an important enemy mage. Still, the fact that I only managed to find a single soul out of fifty that I wanted to keep was atrociously bad.


    The soul had belonged to a mage apprentice, and I was seriously thrilled at the thought of acquiring its secrets. Apprentice Enchantment Theory (Basic) would provide a skill I could benefit from well into the future of my murder-y career.


    As such, it might come as a shock that I didn¡¯t absorb the soul the second I found it.


    The reason was the same as my reluctance to advance as a mage immediately. If the weird exhaustion I was feeling did come directly from my soul, what would happen if I plunged into a stressful process like soul surgery that very moment? Would it make the side effects of absorption worse? Or would some fundamental part of my being start to crack under the pressure, in a way I couldn¡¯t easily fix?


    I didn¡¯t want to find out. Instead, I departed the Absorption Station in a decidedly foul mood despite all the progress.


    In spite of the time-shenanigans the stations operated under, the sky outside was already covered in stars when I ended my seclusion. I enjoyed the way they blinked at me, and their presence was comfortingly familiar. Sure, I didn¡¯t recognize any of the constellations, and I had no idea what galaxy we were in, but somewhere out there was my home. My real home, not just the world Hayden was stolen from as a child.


    Was he even stolen away? There was every chance that the training camp was located on Hayden¡¯s home world, but I didn¡¯t have any memories to confirm or deny any speculation.


    In a way, I hoped he was stolen. Maybe that meant his home world wasn¡¯t occupied by demons. It was just a flash of hope, but it resonated with the pieces I had inherited from Hayden.


    He was ready to set out and conquer the universe on the orders of his demonic masters, but that didn¡¯t mean the boy hadn¡¯t entertained some small delusions about what his life could have been with parents and a wider family that loved him. Those delusions weren¡¯t rooted in memories of another life. They were sourced entirely from older children the demons took in. Those children always broke quickly, but before they did, they shared stories about their homes and complained and cried like regular kids.


    Hayden wouldn¡¯t admit that he enjoyed those moments, even to himself. He never dared to speak about his dreams of a ¡®normal¡¯ life. But I had all those memories of inner conflict. I recognized the baggage he was carrying around. If he had completed his initiation smoothly and was still in charge of his body, would he have been able to do what was necessary?


    I found it a little funny, in a very depressing way, that I was doing better on the murder front than Hayden ever could. After all, I knew exactly what came after life. It was a hell of a motivator to stay alive, pun fully intended.


    I shouldn¡¯t have let myself get so lost in thought as I walked through a city full of demons and bloodthirsty mortals, but I did. I only focused on my surroundings long enough to pick up some suspicious meat skewers from a street vendor. The transaction was mostly an excuse to ask for directions to the local Apple Infernal branch. Still, I did eat the skewers as I walked. No matter what they were made of, it couldn¡¯t be worse than whatever went into our dried-out ration bars.


    The combination of food and my musings about Hayden was so distracting that I got careless. I was only a few streets away from my destination when I realized something was wrong.


    I wish I could say I heard some scuff on the ground behind me, or that I was smart enough to keep an eye on the window reflections I passed to spot pursuers without giving myself away. It would be cool to claim I was alerted by a mysterious sixth sense of lurking danger.


    None of that was true.


    Instead, it was pure luck. A demoness three times my size happened to blow me aside as she bulldozed her way through the milling throngs of civilian demons. This spun me around, affording me a brief view of the street I had just walked down. That was when I spotted a pair of cat ears poking out of the crowd.


    Even then, I turned back towards the inn and continued my journey. I didn¡¯t give the ears much thought until I cut a sharp left two streets later, and caught sight of the same ears from the corner of my eyes. Finally, a jolt of recognition surged through me.


    The cat-like woman who competed with me in speed was stalking the streets of the city.


    And unless the sudden bad feeling in the pit of my stomach was just a delusion, she was following me.


    I slowed down at that point, turning a brisk walk into a stroll. I stopped at a few stalls and pretended to peruse the wares. Suspicion and a hint of worry bloomed inside of me, but I did a good job of keeping them off my face. I kept telling myself that I might be mistaken. Maybe she was just exploring the city.


    I told myself this until I stopped for the fifth time, and she still failed to pass me. I couldn¡¯t deny it anymore: she stopped every time I stopped. Still, I had to give her some credit. She mirrored my movements perfectly, stopping just long enough to approach a nearby vendor, then disengaging quickly as soon as I moved on.


    What could she possibly want? Does she know about the souls, somehow? Or the mana crystals?


    When I first claimed the superior soul, I was deathly afraid that demons would come after me. After all, the army was tracking us and monitoring our soul count. I didn¡¯t think it would be difficult for a demon to learn about another soldier¡¯s success, especially a mortal recruit.


    But I never suspected that claiming a superior soul might lead to trouble with other mortals. How could she know what I had, or how I¡¯d gotten it?


    Then again, she might be acting on someone else¡¯s orders. If a demon wanted to be subtle about things for whatever reason, they could hire one of my mortal rivals to kill me.


    It¡¯s just fifty greater souls! Demons get way more than that every month! I groused angrily, still trying to act calm. This was getting harder to do the closer we got to the inn.


    Chances were high that something bad would happen if I let her catch up. Of course, this left me with one rather urgent problem.


    How in the world am I going to take care of this quietly in the middle of a city?

 Chapter 37: Exchange

    I plumbed the depths of my creativity and pushed my ¡®quick thinking¡¯ muscles to the limit. I even dragged my feet to give myself more time. But a few minutes later, when I rounded a corner and saw the Apple Infernal inn only a short stroll away, no convenient solution had occurred to me.


    Even though the city had been taken over only a few hours ago, the streets were busy. All around me, civilians darted back and forth, scrambling to set up their temporary lives. Well, I called them ¡®civilians,¡¯ but demons are demons. I sincerely doubted there was a single defenseless soul out there on those streets.


    Regardless, the crowds and the exacting nature of the city¡¯s layout conspired against me. There simply weren¡¯t any dark abandoned alleys for me to slip into and lure my stalker to her death.


    Trying to fight her openly was also not a good idea. Sure, our higher-ups were content to let us kill each other out of sight, and it wasn¡¯t like they¡¯d lose sleep over the death of some mortals, but even they¡¯d probably react if we flaunted the rules so brazenly in the middle of the city.


    IS there a specific rule that forbids me from just killing her, though?


    The question was surprisingly valid. This was a demonic legion, after all. But a quick sifting through Hayden¡¯s memories provided the answer, and it wasn¡¯t in my favor.


    Technically, anything that might ¡®impede or hinder the invasion efforts of the legion¡¯ was a crime, to be punished swiftly and thoroughly. And, according to the exhaustive list of actions Hayden had been forced to memorize, ¡®murdering a soldier¡¯ was among the things that could be interpreted against him.


    Unfortunately.


    The list also included such gems as ¡®murdering the pet of the commanding officer¡¯ and ¡®sleeping with your commanding officer¡¯s mother, spouse, and/or siblings to send them into a blind rage.¡¯ The overabundance of detail was both funny and sobering. Apparently, unless an action was specified as a crime, demons thought it was on the table.


    I absolutely loathed how much demons focused on appearances. Sending an assassin after someone? All good, you¡¯re clear. Killing someone under the chaos of battle? Go for it. Shank a fellow soldier sent to kill you in the streets? That¡¯s horrible, definitely not, and off with your head! Of course, if you managed to do it stealthily and bragged about it after, they¡¯d probably buy you a drink.


    Nope. Killing my stalker out in the open wasn¡¯t an option.


    So, with great reluctance, I led her right to the place where I was planning to sleep.


    At least the inn was just as nice as the other branch I visited. In fact, as soon as I stepped inside, my muscles began to relax. The air of the Apple Infernal was full of some soothing aroma that pulled negative emotions right out of me.


    Thanks to this scent, I was able to approach the reception counter calmly. I even returned the pretty receptionist¡¯s smile.


    ¡°Welcome, dear customer,¡± she said. ¡°How may I help you today?¡±


    Both she and her colleague were the same type of demon as the receptionists at the other branch. Pink skin, small horns, long sinuous tails¡­ maybe the chain was family-owned?


    ¡°Hi. I need a room for¡­¡± I paused, suddenly realizing I had no clue how long we¡¯d stick around. ¡°Um, odd question, but do you happen to know when the local troops under Sergeant Glaustro are set to leave?¡±


    The demoness beamed and leaned towards me. For some reason, I felt myself blushing.


    ¡°Of course, dear customer. The troops are set to leave four days from now. They¡¯re expected to meet in the morning in front of the city walls, where they camped out while breaching the barrier. An impressive story that, dear customer!¡±


    ¡°Th-thank you. I¡¯d like a room for four nights, then,¡± I managed to stammer with some semblance of dignity.


    Why was this woman¡¯s presence doing all sorts of odd things to me? I didn¡¯t have this issue with the receptionist at the other Apple Infernal. Even when I was dealing with Yules, my heart hadn¡¯t pounded so intensely. I felt like it was about to burst out of my chest. It was all I could do to thank the receptionist politely and then scramble up the spiral staircase in the center of the room.


    I could swear I heard light giggling as I left, but I refused to turn around. I was too busy trying to get myself in check. Thankfully, I remembered to glance at my key, so I knew to look for room 311.


    311?


    Curiosity rose up, strong enough to knock me out of my embarrassment. Sure, the inn was tall, but it wasn¡¯t a very large building otherwise. The outside didn¡¯t look big enough to hold that many rooms.


    I hadn¡¯t noticed it last time, but as I slowly climbed the stairs up through the middle of the hotel and snuck glances down the many hallways, I realized some sort of dimensional-magic shenanigans were going on. The hotel was definitely larger on the inside than it should have been.


    My lack of reaction to this made me pause.


    It was an impressive feat, sure. But after all my recent experiences, I just couldn¡¯t get excited about it. And that was depressing.


    The first time I saw a demonic city, I had been dazzled. Now it had all lost a lot of its charm. Somewhere along the line, magic went from being¡­ magical to ¡®that thing I need to study so I can kill people better.¡¯ The revelation made me surprisingly sad.Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.


    Of all the things I expected to mourn, I didn¡¯t think my loss of wonder at casual magic would hit so hard.


    So, I wasn¡¯t exactly in the best mood when I happened to glance down and spotted a set of furry ears climbing the stairs after me.


    Anger, hot and powerful, replaced my sadness. There I was, mourning the loss of an essential piece of me, and this stalking asshole had actually followed me into what was supposed to be a safe haven.


    My eyes sharpened as I began paying close attention to the hotel¡¯s layout. Just like all demonic architecture, it was orderly and efficient. The overall design was grand and impressive like an old cathedral, but the floors themselves were carbon copies of each other, just like any ordinary hotel back in my old life.


    All room numbers on the first floor started with the number 1, and began with 101. The second floor rooms started off with room 201. Logic would dictate, then, that 311 was the eleventh room on the third floor. Conveniently, all odd-numbered rooms were located on the left side of the hallway, and all even numbers on the right. Room 311 was directly opposite room 312.


    So, assuming my stalker had managed to rent the room across from mine as an excuse to follow me, I had my plan.


    I sped up, not caring if the cat-woman noticed. It wasn¡¯t like she could do anything about it, and if she was under orders to kill me, she couldn¡¯t back out now. As I already noted, demons hate failure.


    I rushed down the third floor hallway and let myself into room 311 as quickly as I could, closing the door behind me. Then, sword in hand, I knelt down and tried to look through the nonexistent keyhole.


    Only darkness greeted me.


    I cursed. Sure, I could appreciate the extra security this offered, but since the door didn¡¯t have a functioning spyhole, I was flying blind.


    Thankfully, pressing my ear against the wood of the door got better results. Whether it was so room service could announce themselves or whatever, the door didn¡¯t magically block out sound. In fact, the noise of my stalker¡¯s footsteps thundering down the hallway was quite clear.


    She paused right outside my door. For a moment, I wondered if she would try to force it open. The silence stretched on and on. I held my breath.


    Eventually, I heard some shuffling, and the sound of a key being inserted into a lock across the hall.


    This is it.


    I didn¡¯t give myself time to hesitate. In one fluid motion, I tore my door open and slammed it shut behind me. The cat-woman whirled around in her own doorway, her face startled.


    It was almost shameful how thoroughly off-guard I caught her. She didn¡¯t even go for her daggers as I barreled into her, launching us both onto the floor of her room. Rather than stabbing her immediately, I drove the pommel of my sword into her stomach. She lost her breath in a wheeze of pain.


    I used the distraction to kick her room¡¯s door close. The hallway was empty, but I didn¡¯t want any casual passersby witnessing whatever was about to happen.


    This did, however, give her enough time to start scrambling away from me. Her hands were finally reaching for those wickedly sharp daggers. I dropped my knee onto her left hand, pinning it in place, and snatched at her right wrist. She fought to buck me off, but I was both heavier and working with mana-reinforced strength. It was easy to keep her pinned and shove the blade of my sword under her chin.


    That got her to freeze up nicely.


    ¡°I have no clue who sent you. Or maybe you¡¯re doing this on your own initiative. What I want to know is how. You. Knew.¡±


    I ground my teeth with every word, barely able to spit it all out. If I could discover who was leaking this kind of information, maybe I could get Glaustro to do something about it. He didn¡¯t seem like the type to approve of such things.


    To my surprise, the woman gave me a look of pure confusion. ¡°What? What are you talking about? Knew what?¡±


    Her voice was surprisingly soft. It could have belonged to a sophisticated young lady, the kind that ran in circles I could never afford to join.


    Something ugly reared its head in me, and I snarled, ¡°Don¡¯t give me that. You¡¯re here because of the souls, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°What souls?¡± If anything, she sounded even more confused.


    I grit my teeth again. ¡°The mana crystals, then. Great. Same question. Who told you? Who sent you here?¡±


    ¡°Mana crystals? What are you even talking about?¡± Oddly, the woman seemed to be upset, rather than afraid or worried. In fact, she made another attempt to buck me off, her claws trying and failing to pierce the leather of my pants.


    I brought my weight down on her hand a little more roughly.


    ¡°Do you think I¡¯m stupid? Then why are you trying to kill me then, huh? Or are you stalking me because you fell madly in love with my amazing body and incredible personality?¡± I taunted.


    Instead of retaliating, she flushed. That was when I started to feel confused.


    ¡°Wait.¡± I blinked. ¡°Are you telling me you¡¯re not here to kill me?¡±


    The cat lady opened her mouth to respond, but before she could, there was a knock at her door.


    ¡°Dear customer? We saw a minor ping on your wards. May I ask if everything is all right? Do you require assistance?¡±


    My eyes widened, snapping from her to the door and back. I almost shoved my hand over her mouth, but I guessed the hotel personnel wouldn¡¯t just leave if they received no answer. And when they did enter the room, since they were guaranteed to be a demon, there was absolutely no way I could handle them. The only thing I could do was stare at the cat lady blankly, fear and indecision locking me in place.


    To my utter shock, she called, ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Her voice was calm and confident, not even shaking. ¡°Just¡­ a small incident.¡±


    ¡°Dear customer, I really do apologize for the inconvenience, but I¡¯m going to have to ask you to open the door. We¡¯ve had incidents before when our guests were ordered by their attackers to reassure us.¡±


    I swallowed thickly. Then my would-be victim arched her brow imperiously at me. Numbly, I released her and got to my feet. But after sheathing my sword, I wasn¡¯t sure what to do with myself. Perhaps I didn¡¯t think through this plan enough.


    The cat-woman stood up fluidly and pulled the door wide open. A pink-skinned demoness was waiting politely on the other side. She looked like the receptionists, but instead of their navy-blue suits, she wore a crimson suit of impeccable make. There was also a club hanging from her waist. A very fancy club, but I sincerely doubted the golden highlights pressed into the ebony wood would hurt any less than a regular old tree branch.


    ¡°Sorry for the wait,¡± the cat lady said smoothly. ¡°My companion and I got¡­ a bit enthusiastic.¡±


    It took me a moment to process her statement, but then the demoness giggled. Considering the rumpled state of our clothes¡­ I flushed scarlet and turned away.


    At least we gave the staff something to gossip about.


    ¡°Very good, dear customer. Since we know you are safe, I will leave you and your companion to your¡­ relaxation. Enjoy your stay!¡±


    The demoness bowed and departed, stealing glances over her shoulder that made me want to crawl under a rock and hide. I was glad when the cat lady closed the doors quickly.


    I was not so glad to find us alone again, eyeing each other awkwardly.


    ¡°Okay. So.¡± I coughed, trying to hide my discomfort and failing miserably. ¡°Not trying to kill and rob me. Good to know.¡± Maybe, just maybe, I was acting a little paranoid? ¡°So¡­ why follow me, then? And don¡¯t tell me you weren¡¯t doing it.¡±


    She winced at that, finally breaking eye contact. ¡°Very well. Since my subtle approach didn¡¯t work, allow me to be blunt. I¡¯d like to make a trade with you.¡±


    Of all the things I thought she might say, that wasn¡¯t it.


    What do I even have to trade? She clearly doesn¡¯t know about the souls, or the mana crystals.


    ¡°Trade what, exactly?¡± I asked, making no effort to hide my confusion.


    My stalker took a deep breath and squared her shoulders. She looked like she was preparing to go to war.


    What the hell do I have that¡¯s worth such a reaction?

 Chapter 38: Tentative Connections

    ¡°I saw you fight in the Proving Grounds,¡± my stalker declared, with all the seriousness of someone headed for the gallows.


    ¡°¡­Yes? And so did everyone else. What¡¯s your point?¡±


    ¡°You fought like none of us could. You lasted longer than you should have.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s your point?¡± I repeated, starting to lose my patience. The cat lady seemed determined to dodge the main question as long as she could, and the suspense was eating away at me.


    ¡°You were using your mana to do it. I saw it. I ¡ª I want that. I want that kind of strength, speed, and endurance.¡±


    I tilted my head at her. ¡°Wait, you¡¯re telling me this is about my body strengthening mana technique?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s an extraordinarily common name for a technique like that, but yes. If it¡¯s what let you fight beyond your body¡¯s normal limits, that¡¯s the technique I want to trade for.¡±


    Shock surged through me, followed quickly by anger.


    ¡°You made me think someone was trying to assassinate me, over a foundational technique?¡± I didn¡¯t exactly get in her face, but judging by her startled look, my hostility was clear.


    She didn¡¯t back down, though. If anything, my words seemed to light a fire in her. ¡°Foundational technique? That¡¯s what you call a treasure all of us would kill for? You¡¯re treating it rather lightly. Where are we supposed to learn? How did you even manage to get it?!¡±


    I opened my mouth to snark back, then closed it.


    Reluctant as I was to admit it, she did have a point. I had no way of knowing what her life was like before the legion. But if it was anything like Hayden¡¯s, then she had plenty of reasons to be angry.


    Hell, Hayden was actually talented when it came to mana, and his trainers had done almost nothing to help him. No useful mana techniques. No regular skills. They just provided basic manipulation exercises, then promptly left him to his own devices. At most, they checked occasionally to make sure he wouldn¡¯t accidentally kill himself.


    I found this lack of education more than a little suspicious. Unless I was missing way more of Hayden¡¯s memories than I realized, all he got out of the training camp was a half-baked competence with the sword.


    And a honed body, of course. Also ingrained obedience towards demons, a ton of details on how to serve them, and several lifelong traumas. But who counted those, right?


    Now, maybe Hayden was an exception. A kid they decided not to teach seriously, for some reason. An idiot who went on and somehow claimed the top recruit spot for his training facility anyway, guaranteeing his acceptance into the legion¡­


    Or, as was far more likely, the trainers were just shitty and did a horrible job with everyone.


    ¡°They didn¡¯t teach you anything useful in the training camp either, did they?¡± I asked quietly.


    ¡°No, they didn¡¯t. So, I assume you somehow got the technique in this world?¡± Her voice was sharp and accusing, almost bitter.


    I supposed she had cause to feel that way. Looking back on everything that had happened, I was rather lucky. Oh, I bled and struggled for every ¡®lucky¡¯ opportunity I got, but things worked out for me more often than they didn¡¯t.


    In fact, how did I even get the technique? I absorbed it after the mess of my first battle. As I was back then, my chances of actually killing a person with that technique were low. It was probably bundled in with the many souls I stole by killing my fellow recruits, but I still wondered who its original owner was.


    That was when I realized the limitations of normal rank soul memories. I knew the previous owner of the body strengthening technique thought of the skill as something basic. All his comrades were trained in it. But that was the extent of my knowledge. If the skill had come from a greater soul, the memories would be more extensive. I would know the exact school or order of the technique, and¡­


    ¡°Well?¡± the cat lady snarled, jerking me from my thoughts. Then she winced, refusing to look me in the eye. ¡°I ¡ª I apologize. I did not mean to snap at you. I just¡­ I really need this trade.¡±


    I looked at her more closely. She was young, as young as my new body. Sixteen or seventeen at most. Her long black hair was tied up behind her. Not very practical, considering how easily someone could grab it and throw her off-balance for a killing blow.


    Her body was toned and powerful, but that was to be expected of all legion troops, demon or mortal. More interesting was how gangly her limbs were. They almost looked too big for her body, not that her appearance suffered for it.


    What redeemed that odd feature was the feline nature of her arms and legs. Fur, as black as her hair, snuck up to her elbows and knees. Her feet and hands were paw-like, but had all the same functionality as their human counterparts would.


    Her tail and cat ears rounded out the feline touch, though I did also notice flashes of fangs when she spoke. She was definitely self-conscious about them, if the way she tried to open her mouth as little as possible was any indication.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    ¡°Yes,¡± I answered at long last. ¡°You¡¯re right, I got the technique here. After our first battle, actually.¡± She relaxed just a fraction. I continued, ¡°Okay. I¡¯m willing to trade the technique. The word ¡®trade¡¯ implies you have something of equal value to offer though.¡±


    Maybe it was a little hasty to agree, but part of me wanted to help her. This was wholly illogical. Both sides of me, Hayden and whatever my name once was, agreed it was kind of foolish. Nonetheless, I gave into the urge with minimal pushback.


    ¡°Really? You would?¡± Her face lit up momentarily. Then she managed to reign in her enthusiasm, speaking in a calm, formal tone. ¡°Yes, I have something to trade. My world was conquered when I was very young. I didn¡¯t grow up free, and I spent most of my life in the training camp, but my parents taught me one of my people¡¯s prized techniques before they died. I can pass it on to you.¡±


    I hummed, eying her speculatively. It wasn¡¯t uncommon for people to join training camps from the outside world. Hayden always liked it whenever someone new arrived. Not because he wanted friends but because the outsiders brought stories with them. Even if Hayden was every bit the perfect brainwashed soldier the demons wanted him to be, there was a spark deep down that refused to die, a curiosity that drove him to learn more about the many worlds out there. So each new story was carefully filed away, to be ruminated over and cherished.


    Hayden always hated it when the new kids inevitably got that dull look in their eyes and stopped talking¡­


    ¡°I¡¯m not agreeing yet,¡± I said quickly, before I could get lost in my thoughts again. ¡°Let¡¯s see it first. What does your technique do?¡±


    The woman took a deep breath and straightened up fully. ¡°Observe, then.¡±


    One second she was in front of me, and the next she blurred. The edges of her body turned wispy, then she burst into motion. She wasn¡¯t moving all that quickly. In fact, I couldn¡¯t detect any speed boost from the technique at all. Yet, as she moved, she left copies of herself in her wake, throwing me off. These copies even moved a couple steps independently before falling apart into a cloud of mist.


    ¡°The Hunter¡¯s Clouded Steps is a mana technique my people were infamous for,¡± she stated proudly. ¡°We dominated our world by using it in tandem with our other two famed techniques. Even demons sought to learn these techniques when they conquered us.¡±


    I didn¡¯t let her enthusiasm carry me away, especially since her world was conquered, in the end. ¡°What does it do, exactly?¡±


    She almost pouted, but shot me a glare instead. ¡°At the basic level of proficiency, it blurs the lines of your body and allows you to shift your enemy¡¯s perception of your location. Trained properly, it lets you appear to be a foot to the left or right of where you actually are. That¡¯s just the start.¡±


    I rolled my eyes at her grandstanding, but let a smile slip anyway. ¡°And what about the higher levels of skills?¡±


    She needed no further encouragement to gush.


    ¡°When you¡¯re proficient at the technique, you can conjure up to five illusory duplicates. I¡¯m warning you, though, they¡¯re rather mana-hungry. That¡¯s my current skill level. Supposedly, at higher levels, you can learn how to conjure a whole host of duplicates, and even switch places with them at will.¡±


    Okay, I had to admit I was impressed. A mana technique like that was definitely worth a lot, especially since it could be useful from day one of your training all the way to the peak of power.


    Of course, as basic as ¡®body strengthening¡¯ sounded, it also fell under this category.


    I nodded. ¡°Fine. I accept your offer, happily. Still, let me warn you now: the body strengthening technique is not easy to learn, nor is it safe to practice when you¡¯re just starting out. If you mess up, you can easily end up with torn muscles, broken bones, or worse.¡±


    I wasn¡¯t lying to her. Frankly, the Absorption Station was cheating. It let me inherit all the training, instincts, and hard-earned muscle memory required to use a technique without hurting myself.


    The body strengthening technique took a massive toll. When I used it, moving at speeds no human could match and tearing around with all the power of a bull in a china shop, I was simultaneously strengthening my organs to withstand that supernatural energy. I could do this instinctually because the person I stole the skill from could do it.


    But when beginners started out with this technique, they needed to follow precise orders of strengthening, along with incredibly complex mana weaving patterns. If they weren¡¯t careful, they could over-strengthen a muscle group and then crack a bone when they tried to use it. And honestly, that was the most benign accident they could have.


    The Absorption Station gave me the technique pre-packaged with everything I needed to use it safely. My new friend would have to earn those skills herself.


    ¡°I¡¯m not worried about working hard to learn,¡± was her snappy response. I also noticed her tail do a weird flick, and her ears twitched in a pattern that had to mean something.


    Somehow, I knew her body language was not meant to flatter me.


    ¡°Fair enough. Before we start this exchange, my name is Hayden. Feels weird to keep talking to you without knowing your name.¡±


    I held my hand out for a shake. After staring at me for a second, she hesitantly took it.


    ¡°Mia. My name is Mia.¡± Her pretty gray eyes twinkled, and she offered me a tiny smile.


    I fought the urge to wince away from her.


    Frankly, there was a reason I knew almost nothing about the other recruits, and why I contented myself with nicknames that gave a nod to their species at best.


    I did not want to get close to any of them.


    I didn¡¯t even want to see them as people.


    If I did, then it would be so much more difficult if I had to kill them or watch them die. Things were much better as they were. We were just somewhat familiar faces to each other, no fondness or camaraderie muddying the waters when it was time to act.


    Mia was watching me, eyes alight with hopeful expectation.


    It¡¯s just a trade, I told myself firmly. Good business. Practical.


    I took a deep breath and forced down all my lingering reluctance.


    ¡°Are you fine with starting now? I don¡¯t know how long it¡¯ll take for us to pick up each other¡¯s techniques, but there¡¯s no point in wasting time,¡± I asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s okay. I¡¯ve wanted something like your body strengthening for a while now,¡± Mia answered eagerly, plopping herself down on the floor. ¡°How do I start?¡±


    I wanted to tease her about assuming she would get to learn first, but I just rolled my eyes and sat down across from her. ¡°Okay, so, first you need to learn the order in which you¡¯re going to be strengthening your body. Then I¡¯ll pass on the mana weaving patterns you¡¯ll be using.¡±


    It was¡­ fun, talking to someone and exchanging ideas about how best to approach mana techniques. I couldn¡¯t relax fully, not while hanging out with another recruit, but I did enjoy myself.


    The thing is, I knew from the start I would enjoy it.


    That¡¯s what I was afraid of.


    Even as we talked, a part of me wondered what I would do if I ever had to kill her. Would I be able to act as ruthlessly as I had in the past?


    Or would I hesitate, and pay for it?

 Chapter 39: Ambition

    It took me and Mia most of our four-day downtime to pick up each other¡¯s techniques.


    Her rush to master Mana Manipulation: Body Strengthening (Basic) was reckless at best. Even with my support, she almost pushed too hard, playing at the very edge of grievous self-harm. Thankfully, she wrapped up her training with only a plethora of new bruises.


    If anyone knew we were spending time together only for her to walk away looking like a patchwork quilt of black, purple, blue and red skin, I¡¯d probably be reported somewhere. Or maybe not, seeing as the Abyss had an altogether different view on such things compared to my old world.


    But by the time we parted ways, she was able to start up and maintain a very basic level of strengthening for an hour or two. Further progression was up to her. It was just a matter of extending her control through frequent practice, and growing her mana reserves.


    Of course, I also gave her the key to achieving that growth.


    It was on day two of our training, when she was hissing and snarling about her limited mana, that I approached the subject.


    ¡°Say, on the topic of mana capacity, do you maybe have a mana accumulation technique?¡± I tried to sound casual, but judging from the way she suddenly snapped her eyes to me, I failed.


    ¡°No.¡± She said the word slowly and deliberately, eyes boring into me. ¡°Do you?¡±


    I tried to suppress a smirk, and failed again. ¡°I do.¡±


    She huffed and turned away from me, left eye twitching as her tail and ears kicked up a storm. ¡°Of course you do. Next, you¡¯ll tell me you have a way to advance your ascension without spending souls. Because all the luck we recruits were due seems to have ended up in your hands.¡±


    I rolled my eyes at her. Sure, I did get ¡®lucky¡¯ when I reaped Clarinette¡¯s soul. But I had paid dearly for that luck, hadn¡¯t I? If not for Bronwynn¡¯s expert application of healing salve, who knew if I would still be in a place to teach Mia and receive her snark?


    Then again, Bronwynn¡¯s help was also a stroke of luck, even if I had to annoy him into liking me first.


    Maybe Mia had a point.


    ¡°Well¡­ would you like to learn that, too?¡± I asked. This time, I grinned openly at her intense glare.


    ¡°Are you joking? Because if you¡¯re just taunting me, I swear I will¡ª¡±


    ¡°No! I¡¯m not taunting you. Still, either you trade another technique, or you pay me in souls. I¡¯m warning you, though, the mana accumulation technique isn¡¯t going to be cheap.¡±


    I was absolutely not going to budge on that point. Yes, contrary to my own desires, I was starting to like her. No, that didn¡¯t mean I was going to hand over a priceless tool for free.


    I had my own ambitions to feed.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been saving, but I¡­ don¡¯t have much,¡± Mia admitted, shuffling awkwardly.


    I didn¡¯t say anything, but I wasn¡¯t surprised. The woman was decked out in scavenged armor that only partially matched her style, unlike my own gleaming set. She was also rather impressed by all the luxuries of Apple Infernal. She had tried to hide it, but once she got over the shock of my attack and our exchange, I could tell she was rather taken by the place. To me, that meant she was used to more dingy accommodations.


    ¡°I understand,¡± I said. ¡°But I¡¯m also pretty sure you understand what I¡¯m offering here. This isn¡¯t some two-bit technique you can pick up off the first soul you claim. If you want this one, you would need to kill a mage. Not only are those hard to find, they also don¡¯t die easy. Trust me.¡±


    Mia started gnawing on her lower lip, giving me a rare glimpse of her fangs.


    Eventually, as I knew she would, she caved.


    ¡°Fine. I can offer, at most, three hundred souls. And I¡¯ll have you know you¡¯re cleaning me out,¡± she hissed, real indignation on her face. ¡°I was trying to save those up for my ascension.¡±


    I winced. It was not realistic, but a part of me had been hoping I¡¯d get enough to ascend into a full demon then and there.


    Still, I gave her my best smile. ¡°Deal.¡±


    Teaching her the Illsent Mana Accumulation (Greater) technique was a little easier, ironically. It built on many of the same principles as body strengthening. Mia just needed the unique mana weaves and manipulation patterns to guide the mystical force into a core and force it to merge there.


    So, at the end of our transactions, Mia walked away with two techniques, and I walked away with one. What a technique it was, though.


    The Hunter¡¯s Clouded Steps was a mouthful, but the technique was precisely as impressive as Mia advertised. Frankly, I got the better end of our deal, since her technique¡¯s complexity was far beyond my basic body strengthening.


    To pull off the steps technique, I had to adjust my mana to a very specific frequency, then make it stick to my skin in a complicated weave. And that was just part one. For part two, I needed to conjure a rune inside my mana core, then extend tendrils of my mana and duplicate the rune where I wanted my illusory clone to appear. Alternatively, it was possible to leave ¡®echoes¡¯ of the rune behind where I stood, but I still needed to link it to myself using mana tendrils, and that was somehow throwing me off more than just conjuring the rune remotely.


    Theoretically, I could teleport between the runes using their connected resonance. But while Mia had taught me the theory of how to do that, not even she could pull it off yet.


    Me? By the time our downtime was through, I only just managed to summon a single illusory clone while using the technique.


    Of course, I didn¡¯t focus solely on our training. Several times over the four days, I snuck out of the Apple Infernal and visited the Absorption Station. Three hundred extra souls gave me some leeway in how I could handle things.


    Part of me wanted to shove all three hundred souls into the ascension meter, but then the words of my commander echoed in my mind. Glaustro warned me not to hoard souls in a rush to ascend. If I threw these three hundred at ascension, I would be doing just that.


    After all, I wasn¡¯t even going to start putting souls into ascension until I could hit 100% on that meter in one go, so 800 souls wouldn¡¯t get me there. Not that I had 800 souls. I had 3 lesser souls, 304 basic tier souls, and 48 greater souls to my name. So, 784 souls, all told.


    I forced myself to be sensible. No hasty moves toward ascension. I didn¡¯t rush to absorb that one greater soul that had caught my eye, either.


    Instead, I used my limited time and endurance to add more layers to my mana core. In four days, I managed to add another two layers at the low, low cost of three mana crystals. That put me at four mana core layers, just a step away from hitting five. One more layer and I would progress from apprentice mage to basic mage, with all the benefits that rank entailed.This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    I tried to be satisfied with this. I told myself I was being wise by not being overeager. Every day was an excruciating battle between my patience and my ambition.


    On the final day, ambition won.


    I had already completed my mana accumulation for the day, stopping just when the sensation of handling mana turned into an uncomfortable inner ache. I knew I should just pack up and leave the station, but my eyes kept drifting to my soul purse.


    The number of souls in there kept beckoning to me, their potential tempting me beyond reason.


    Just a couple towards ascension. Just to see what the process is like.


    I lied to myself with surprising ease. Then, with a smile on my lips, I reached into the purse and drew out one of the basic souls. So much for being rational.


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    Hayden Hall


    Ascension progress: 1%


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    </table>


    The words were the same as when I first laid eyes on them. Similarly, the awareness of demonic mana pooling in my chest was the same. It had expanded somewhat, in proportion with the increase in my regular mana, but that had done nothing to tick the ascension higher.


    The process of improving ascension was so easy, it felt strange. After all, skill absorption extracted its cost in pain. Mana accumulation demanded focus and exacting precision.


    But ascension required only soul sacrifice. I simply willed the Abyss to claim the soul I was holding and offer me its strength in return.


    And it did.


    I felt something vast and so much more powerful than me reach out through the station, spear right through the soul I was holding, and lodge itself in my chest.


    The presence pulsed, and the soul melted away, vanishing like it never even existed. In turn, Abyssal mana surged along the newly created link and poured into my veins. It coursed through my body, finally settling in my chest to grow the tiny pool already there.


    I wasn¡¯t left gasping on my knees or doubled over in pain. I wasn¡¯t even dizzy. In fact, the Abyssal mana was comfortably warm as it spread through my being. It felt, dare I say it, uplifting and pleasant. Like someone was offering me a hug, and a level of acceptance I didn¡¯t realize I needed until that very second.


    The experience was so positive, I wasn¡¯t exactly surprised when I reached for my purse immediately. Pulling out a greater soul this time, I fed it to the Abyss eagerly.


    Anything to feel that way again.


    I¡¯m not sure how long I sat there, lost in a daze of relaxed bliss. I turned over soul after soul without hesitation. Finally, my searching hand emerged from the purse holding the greater soul I was saving for absorption.


    It was the only greater soul left. I had fed all the rest to the Abyss.


    The pleasant warmth was already fading. With gritted teeth, I decided to hit at least fifty percent of the ascension price. I counted out how many basic souls I¡¯d need and fed them in, one after the other.


    Thirty basic souls later, I took a deep breath and let the ascension meter beam information directly into my brain.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; box-shadow: 1px 1px 1px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.75); background: rgba(0, 75, 122, 1); border: 1px solid rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.25); width: 99.9745%; color: rgba(204, 204, 204, 1); padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 10px" border="1"><colgroup><col style="width: 100%"></colgroup>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Hayden Hall


    Ascension progress: 50%


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    I blinked, momentarily confused by the number. I had fed the thing the equivalent of 500 basic souls, total.


    Then, how am I at exactly fifty percent, when I started at one percent? I should be at fifty-one percent, at least. This doesn¡¯t make any sense.


    The Abyss didn¡¯t seem to care about my grousing. It had taken the offerings and dispensed its reward, a reward I could feel burning inside me.


    Casually, I drew a tendril of mana out of my core, then sent it spiraling around my arm.


    Before, my mana was pale blue, the natural color, with perhaps a tiny tinge of red. Now, it was an even mix of the two colors. Strings of red twined with blue in a dizzying display, the two dancing together while refusing to merge.


    Even my core was like that now. The two halves weren¡¯t perfectly separated, but I could feel the red and blue fighting for dominance in the mana construct¡¯s makeup.


    It was exceedingly odd. Since both types of mana belonged to me, both obeyed me perfectly. Each performed just as well as the other when directed through my technique.


    I did, however, discover one difference. A meager justification for the string of horrible decisions I had just made.


    My techniques were far more powerful. Using the same amount of mana netted me almost double the results. Power coursed through my limbs like never before, and I felt like I could bend a sword into a pretzel if I wanted to. Even the body refinement technique we were taught at Glaustro¡¯s orders was stronger.


    Actually, that technique advanced further than the others. It ran more smoothly, and its effects felt more real, somehow, like my body was being elevated beyond its base mortal form rather than just strengthened. Of course, considering the technique was demonic in origin, it made sense that it would run better with demonic mana.


    My spending spree got me one final ¡®reward.¡¯ The feeling of acceptance and warmth I enjoyed while boosting my ascension lingered. I could feel it just beyond reach, lurking at the other end of the tentative connection I now had to the Abyss. It felt like I could reach out and implore it to claim me fully. I could surrender myself to it, body and soul, and emerge from the process reborn.


    I was tempted. I was oh so very tempted. Bronwynn said I could potentially turn into a demon at fifty percent ascension, and I understood why now.


    Still, even without the memory of his warnings, I could tell instinctually how risky the process would be. The connection was too hazy to support the transformation. Even if it worked, I would be less than what I was supposed to become. Besides, I didn¡¯t want to ascend before I advanced to full mage status.


    And yet¡­


    I tentatively reached out, just to brush my awareness across the link. The reaction was immediate.


    I panicked when the bond pulsed, reaching out to me, only to feel empty when the whole process crashed to a halt.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; box-shadow: 1px 1px 1px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.75); background: rgba(0, 75, 122, 1); border: 1px solid rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.25); width: 99.9745%; color: rgba(204, 204, 204, 1); padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 10px" border="1"><colgroup><col style="width: 100%"></colgroup>


    <tbody>


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    <td>


    Ascension attempt halted due to lacking connection.


    Enter the Abyss, so that you may be claimed fully.


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    I slumped down, letting out the breath that had gotten stuck in my lungs.


    A weird swirl of relief and exhaustion followed me all the way back to the inn, where I collapsed into bed as quickly as I could. I slept the sleep of the dead until the following morning, when a polite knock on my door awakened me as requested.


    Maybe I couldn¡¯t avoid the burn of my brand as it summoned us to gather, but I sure as hell could avoid being woken up that way. And, of course, I was not about to miss breakfast.


    I didn¡¯t check with Mia to see if she was up too. When we parted the day before, prior to my visit to the station, things were a little awkward between us.


    Neither of us knew what to say. Did we wish each other luck? Promise not to try and kill each other? In the end, we just mumbled our goodbyes and parted.


    Breakfast at Apple Infernal was as amazing as ever. As far as I was concerned, food was the major appeal of the inn. That morning, the meal included an exquisitely cooked steak with a side of mashed potato-like veggies, a sauce that was just savory enough to avoid overwhelming the senses, and dessert in the form of apple pie. The latter came with a small bowl of cream, served separately for those who didn¡¯t like it.


    It was with great reluctance that I eventually rose from the dining table. I dragged my feet to reception, dropped off my room key, and started towards the exit.


    To my great surprise, I was intercepted.


    ¡°Dear customer, a moment of your time, if you please.¡±


    I looked back to see a demoness striding towards me, the same demoness who checked on Mia that first day of our stay. She was still dressed in her sharp crimson suit, though she didn¡¯t have her weapon on her this time.


    ¡°Yes? How may I help you?¡± I asked politely.


    She giggled when she reached me, leaning over until her warm breath tickled my ear. ¡°A word of caution, dear customer. We do not condone guests attacking each other. The adorable kitty spoke up for you, and judging by the emotions I caught coming off you both, I understand that it was most likely an unfortunate misunderstanding. As a result, there will be no warnings placed on your record with us. This time. Please, let¡¯s not have a repeat of such an incident. I would hate to sour our relationship.¡±


    I turned pale. I¡¯m not even sure what I mumbled in response. She giggled again and patted my head.


    ¡°Good! Now, have a pleasant day, dear customer.¡±


    I bolted for the door, but before I could step outside, she called out again.


    ¡°Oh, and dear customer? You two really would make an adorable couple!¡±


    With the giggling of the demoness and the receptionists hounding my steps, I hurried away from the hotel, cheeks and ears burning.

 Chapter 40: Danger

    It was an odd twist, to feel safer fleeing the Apple Infernal than I did staying staying there. The demoness¡¯ remark about emotions once more reaffirmed something I already knew: a mortal like me couldn¡¯t hide anything from demons. Not for long, at least.


    Some of my emotions could blend in easily enough. Demons expected mortals to feel uneasy and fear, so if they sensed those feelings in me, they wouldn¡¯t be suspicious. No demon was likely to guess I was trying to hide wealth.


    Not that I was particularly wealthy anymore thanks to my heavy spending at the Absorbtion Station, or that demons would want the kind of wealth I still possessed.


    I would have to be careful not to reveal the mana crystals to any mortal. Well, any more mortal. I doubted Mia would forget the accusations I threw at her that first day we properly met.


    I winced a little at the realization that she was firmly ¡®Mia¡¯ in my mind now, and not the ¡®cat lady¡¯ or whatever else I used to call her.


    With an effort, I pushed aside the thought, along with the stab of fear that came with it. The unease stayed around, taking root in my chest, but I ignored it and strode purposefully out of the city towards the legion¡¯s former campsite.


    To my mild amusement, a good number of tents were still set up there. Several recruits had been forced by lack of souls to camp outside. These recruits were disassembling the tents as fast as they could, but that didn¡¯t save them from the jeers of both demons and their mortal peers. There was no mercy for failure to save up enough souls even for the most basic city lodging.


    I couldn¡¯t help but notice that all these tent-dwelling mortals were vaguely familiar. I wasn¡¯t one hundred percent certain, but I was willing to bet they all belonged to Glaustro¡¯s troops.


    Not long after my arrival, Glaustro and Graighast themselves made an appearance. The two sergeants looked more exhausted than I had ever seen them. Point of fact, I had never seen a demon look that worn out minus the slight fatigue the demon mages had when sieging the shield. Both were glowering, and if I didn¡¯t know any better, I would take the slight discoloration under their eyes as bags caused by lack of sleep.


    Demons don¡¯t need to sleep, not really. Right? I think I read something along those lines¡­


    My musing was cut off when Glaustro slashed his hand through the air in front of him several times in quick succession. Each motion left angry red mana threads hovering in place. When the threads formed into a glyph, Glaustro punched his fist through it. The glyph erupted into a wave of mana that washed over us and into the city.


    Immediately, my brand started to heat up. I clenched my teeth in preparation for the pain, but this time, the heat faded before it could hurt me. As I brushed my hand over the brand, the message that typically forced itself into my mind fizzled out. In its place was a vague sense of accomplishment, like I had already done what was required of me.


    I smiled.


    So, if I want to avoid pain, all I need to do is show up at the meeting place before the order is sent out. Good to know.


    That explained why most demons were always ready and waiting by the time I had turned up in the past. They knew how to avoid all the unpleasantness of the brand¡¯s summoning. The fact that no one said anything to warn the mortals about this filled me with bitterness for a moment, but the feeling evaporated instantly. It wasn¡¯t like anyone bothered to share other important info with us anyways.


    The two sergeants took their seats in the command tent, but instead of lounging like they usually did, they called for one of their aides to bring in a short table. Then they spread out a map and leaned over it, conversing earnestly. Their voices were too low for me to overhear, but I knew from the intense focus of all the demons around me that something important was happening.


    When everyone finally arrived, it was Graighast who stepped forward this time, leaving Glaustro to glower at the map angrily.


    ¡°Listen carefully,¡± the nicer of the two brothers demanded, arms crossed over his chest. ¡°Things have developed in an unfavorable direction. As some of you may already know, the locals have started to meddle with magic they have no business researching.¡±


    A ripple of discontent ran through the demonic troops, but it was a hushed reaction. Muted. Clearly, news had been spreading among them while I sequestered myself in the Apple Infernal and the station.


    ¡°They have weaponized both spatial and soul mana. We discovered multiple sites within this city used for sacrificial offerings, where civilians were killed and their souls extracted to fuel the city¡¯s defenses. Obviously, those defenses failed to hold us back.¡±


    The demon made this statement with as much disdain as he could manage. However, even I could detect a hint of concern in his voice. And for once, the demons surrounding me didn¡¯t pretend to hide their own unease. I swallowed. Whatever was enough to throw a whole army of demons off-balance was beyond deadly to me.


    ¡°We also discovered, thanks to the quick thinking and action of one of our mortal soldiers, that the cities now have a hidden teleportation network fueled in much the same fashion. While this would normally be a boon, this time, it has turned into a weakness.


    ¡°Their civilization is still much too young and weak to have properly studied the principles that govern teleportation. They might have been able to establish a rudimentary system, but they don¡¯t know how to key it to select individuals only, or even to their species as a whole. As such, this presents us with a unique opportunity.¡±


    The demonic commander smiled like a shark, and Graighast¡¯s sudden shift in mood surged out over the troops. All the demons leaned in, their faces eager. More than a few mortals followed suit. I kept my face calm, but I could feel the sharp edge of anticipation digging into me.


    ¡°Instead of marching deeper into their territories, we can leverage these teleportation circles. We have done several small tests already, and while they won¡¯t let us teleport directly into the center of our enemies¡¯ kingdom, we can jump to the next node in the chain. We will not have to contend with whatever traps and barriers the locals have managed to build. We can appear in their midst and wreak havoc!¡±


    A roar of approval met Graighast¡¯s declaration. I gave in, raising my voice along with them. There was something electric about being part of the crowd. Even if the crowd was half demon.


    What¡¯s more, the red half of my mana was pulsing in tune with the emotions of the demons. I could feel the cravings of the Abyss inside my chest. I could practically taste its anticipation for more souls, more lives, and more fuel for its expansion. Its call thrummed in my veins, promising rewards, accolades, and power the likes of which I could never imagine, if I simply did my part.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    It was a heady feeling, and I lost myself to it as I listened to Graighast speak.


    ¡°All demons, be ready to storm the walls immediately. Their casters are likely prepared for the first sign of trouble. We cannot let them make sacrifices and raise their barrier. Mortals, it is your job to mop up all civilians and troops languishing within the city itself. This is your opportunity to earn more souls, and to rampage to your hearts¡¯ content! Do not fail us!¡±


    That was an order, not a request, but I didn¡¯t care either way. This was everything I wanted and more. If other mortals were my only competition, I could feed the craving of the Abyss, improve my ascension, and take my rightful place among demon kind in one fell swoop.


    Mia was the only one to worry about, but we probably had enough of an understanding between us to avoid immediate conflict. I might have to seek her out if I didn¡¯t have enough souls by the time the city fell, but I pushed that idea aside as a future concern.


    Instead, I focused on the warmth of demonic mana. Embracing the power, I sent it coursing through my veins, pumping myself full of electrifying urges.


    It was Glaustro who wrapped up the speech, rising from his chair with a characteristic growl.


    ¡°Our aides will lead the way and activate the teleportation matrix. Do not start any trouble. Slaughter any guards you encounter on the other side and wait for all your fellows to pass through before launching the attack. If anyone starts the assault early and tips off our enemies, they will have to answer to us.¡±


    He cast the map aside with visible disgust. Something else was clearly bothering the commanders, but at that moment, I didn¡¯t care. All that mattered was that I would soon have souls within my reach. Souls no one could stop me from reaping.


    I followed the stream of bodies down the path I had taken in pursuit of the mage. Then a hand closed around my shoulder, and I almost snarled. The only thing that stopped me from reacting badly when I spun around was the realization that the hand belonged to a demon.


    ¡°Mortal. Kid,¡± the demon corrected himself. It took me an awkwardly long moment to realize I was looking Bronwynn in the eye. ¡°Are you okay? You don¡¯t look too good.¡±


    He spoke calmly and quietly as he tugged me along, keeping us in line with the moving crowd, his hand still clasped firmly on my shoulder.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine. I feel great.¡±


    I tried to keep the snappiness out of my voice, but it was difficult. He didn¡¯t need to hurry. He was a demon, guaranteed a place in the charge. I had no such assurance that I¡¯d be included. And he was holding me back to chat pointlessly about my health.


    ¡°Are you sure about that? You look¡­ twitchy. Angry. Don¡¯t tell me I¡¯m wrong*, I can feel it*.¡± He narrowed his eyes, then they widened in sudden alarm. ¡°Wait. Damn it all, kid. What did you do? Why can I feel so much demonic mana in you?¡±


    ¡°I did nothing but what¡¯s expected of me,¡± I snapped, jerking my shoulder in an attempt to dislodge his hand and hurry ahead. ¡°My ascension has started. I will soon do my part to feed the Abyss, as is proper.¡±


    The words tumbled out of me, and my mana reacted to them with approval. My body warmed with the same comforting acceptance I felt while boosting my ascension, and I smiled.


    What was I thinking? I should have fed all my souls to my ascension. Keeping them is pointless.


    My musing was cut off by an angry growl.


    ¡°How far did you push?¡± demanded a very displeased Bronwynn. ¡°Twenty percent? Thirty?¡±


    He looked like he wanted to drag me off to one of the alleys and give me a lecture. Thankfully, he didn¡¯t. He just kept us moving along with the rest of the army. My mind started drifting towards the souls waiting for me beyond the teleportation¡­


    Then he shook me, forcing me to answer.


    ¡°Fifty,¡± I said with pride. ¡°I can feel it, Bronwynn. I am almost ready to complete my ascension. I just need more souls, and I can get them, right now.¡±


    ¡°Fifty? Kid, are you insane? You¡¯re supposed to ¡ª No, of course no one ever explained that. No one cares anyway, and you¡¯re not supposed to be able to get that many souls yet. How did you ¡ª No. Doesn¡¯t matter.¡±


    The demon cut off, then looked around wildly like he was expecting a solution to jump out at him from behind the next corner. I couldn¡¯t understand what was bothering him. I just wanted to get through the teleport.


    Thankfully, we were nearly there! The mage must have been trying to get to the teleport when I fought him, and we had already passed that spot in the tunnel. It couldn¡¯t be too much further.


    I wasn¡¯t sure when I started grinning, but I did nothing to stifle the feral expression on my face.


    ¡°Listen. Hayden, listen to me.¡±


    I blinked, then turned to look at Bronwynn. Had he been saying something? I couldn¡¯t remember.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have time to babysit you right now, kid. However, we will talk about this as soon as this battle is over. Of all the rotten luck... Just try not to charge into danger recklessly, alright? You really can¡¯t afford to die right now.¡±


    I mumbled something in response, but I wasn¡¯t really listening.


    I could finally see our destination.


    We were entering a massive cavern underneath the city. I could tell immediately that it wasn¡¯t natural. The walls were too perfectly smooth and spherical. Someone had used magic to banish a ton of earth and left behind the perfect staging area for teleportation.


    In the middle of this underground hall was a massive magical matrix, delineated by a huge, shining, cyan circle. Every inch of the circle was filled with symbols, glyphs, runes, and arcane markings, all glowing with the same crystalline wash of colors the city¡¯s barrier had featured.


    Two demons I recognized as aides to the sergeants were kneeling next to the matrix, hands splayed over its edges. Mana was streaming from them constantly, but the conversion process was inefficient. The tide of red mana they let off was reduced by more than half when it met the edges of the matrix, slowly getting lost in the circle¡¯s characteristic kaleidoscope of colors. I was caught between the anxious desire to rush into the matrix and a sense of awe at the sheer amount of mana the two demons could supply.


    One by one, groups of demons stepped onto the matrix. Red mana flowed into the circle from the two aides. When the intensity of the circle¡¯s glow reached a peak, the group of demons standing there vanished, and the next group stepped in.


    ¡°Damn it,¡± Bronwynn snarled, reminding me of his presence. His hand tightened on my shoulder. ¡°Just¡­ stay safe. It¡¯s almost my turn. Don¡¯t do anything stupid.¡±


    With those parting words, Bronwynn hurried ahead, leaving me to wait alongside the other mortals.


    I hated it.


    I hated being bundled with them. I hated having to endure my own mortality and lack of strength. I sank deeper into the warmth of the abyss, loving the reassurance of it, the way it sang to me of all the power and safety it could provide.


    When it was finally my turn, I had to resist the urge to power up my body strengthening in my rush to get to the matrix. I was practically bouncing on the balls of my feet as the circle lit up under me.


    Then the world tilted sideways.


    I felt like I was yanked out of my skin, bundled up, crushed into atoms, and scattered across the entire width of the world before something suddenly reassembled me, spewing me out onto a matrix identical to the one I had stepped onto just seconds ago.


    Or was it decades ago? I couldn¡¯t tell, and that worried me.


    Looking around, I found we had teleported to another cavern. I felt both dazed and clearheaded. My mana was in absolute disarray, refusing to obey me, and my state didn¡¯t get any better as I stumbled away from the teleportation matrix.


    What was I doing?


    I still felt a hint of an urge to rush out of this new cavern, but the reasoning behind the urge was now a mystery.


    My mind swam, and I almost puked.


    Urgh, what is that?


    Everywhere I looked, lines slashed through the walls and floor of the cavern, shining with a low, multicolored light. Looking at them was giving me a headache. It was like they were and weren¡¯t there, simultaneously. A part of my brain insisted I was seeing them, while my mind and soul were rebelling against the idea.


    There was something about the lines that made me want to scream and run for the hills, but a glance around showed that no one else was reacting to the light show as badly as I was. The demons ignored the glowing lines entirely, and the mortals were regarding them with curiosity, at most.


    The lights flashed and faded again in my vision, and I doubled over.


    Seriously, what is wrong with me?


    Panic gripped my chest. It exploded through my lungs, closing my throat, cutting off my breath.


    And it just kept rising.

 Chapter 41: Cracks

    The last thing I wanted to do was get closer to those sickening lights. Everything in my body was screaming to get as far away from them as possible.


    I pushed down that urge and stumbled over to the wall of the cave.


    My heart kicked like a horse running wild and tears poured down my face, but I persisted. A small, illogical part of me claimed that if I could just take a proper look at the glowing lines, I¡¯d feel better. That I would understand the desperate desire to run and hide.


    ¡°Hayden?¡±


    Ignoring the voice, I collapsed to my knees. I wanted to reach out, to touch the line that cast soft light over my face.


    It¡¯s there. It¡¯s definitely there.


    But the light kept flickering in and out of existence, making it harder to distinguish what was real and what was not. I squeezed my eyes shut, fought down another wave of nausea, then opened them.


    No, it¡¯s not a line. It¡¯s¡­ a crack.


    That¡¯s why the light kept flickering. It was leaking from the cracks the way vapor might rise off a hot spring or a hidden geyser. Pressure was fighting against the light from the other side, trying to force it out through the cracks, and the light was losing.


    How do I know that?


    ¡°Hayden!¡±


    I jerked towards the voice and found Mia¡¯s face inches away from my own. She was bent over me, worry and consternation painted over her features.


    ¡°Mia? Why¡­¡±


    Why was she near me when we didn¡¯t know what the future held in store for us? When we could end up trying to kill each other for some stupid reason?


    I didn¡¯t ask her. In that moment, I simply wanted someone I could trust. ¡°Can you see them? The cracks?¡±


    I probably looked half-crazed as I gripped her left arm, remembering at the last second to soften the amount of force I was using. I still had enough wits about me not to hurt someone who was trying to help me.


    ¡°You mean these lines on the wall?¡± she hissed. ¡°Yeah, sure. I see them. Is that why you¡¯re freaking out? They¡¯re not even leaking that much mana. Barely noticeable.¡± She gave my shoulder a rough shake. ¡°You need to get it together. Some of the others are eying us already.¡±


    Her voice was harsh, but I couldn¡¯t blame her. Showing weakness in front of the other recruits was a bad idea on the best of days.


    I understood what she was saying, but the logic refused to click into place. That rising sense of panic hadn¡¯t abated at all. In fact, it was getting worse.


    And are those cracks growing brighter?


    I fought through the discomfort, staring at the cracks through narrowed eyes. The teleportation matrix flashed again behind us, and the cracks briefly flared up in response. When they settled, they were definitely brighter than before.


    I whipped my head around. The cavern was full of mortals, milling about and preparing to enter the city. The only demons I saw were the other two aides who had passed through first to secure the room. The rest must have departed while I was freaking out.


    I jumped to my feet, ignoring Mia¡¯s frustrated grumbles as I headed for the aides. Another flash, and another group of mortals appeared in the teleportation matrix. They quickly vacated the circle to leave room for the next group. Another few rounds, and it would be time for the sergeants themselves to join us.


    The two demons ignored me at first, but a wild-eyed human rushing at them required some response. Visibly tense, they turned partly to face me.


    ¡°What is happening, mortal? Stop now, or ¡ª¡±


    Normally, I¡¯d be too terrified even to raise my voice against a demon of the legion, especially since I recognized the aide as Glaustro¡¯s. Now, I had to stop myself from grabbing and shaking him.


    ¡°The lines, the cracks, can you see them?¡± I demanded, gesturing all around us.


    ¡°What is this? What cracks?¡± The demon¡¯s voice was so genuinely confused I couldn¡¯t bring myself to doubt him. ¡°Has the pressure driven you mad, mortal? There are no cracks here. If you are just pulling some kind of stunt, I¡¯ll have you flayed for it!¡±


    The demon¡¯s reply was loud and angry enough for the other mortals to hear. Immediately, confused murmuring filled the room as the mortals looked around. The glowing cracks were plainly visible to their eyes. So why couldn¡¯t the demons see them? What was happening?


    The other aide, the one that belonged to Graighast, looked just as confused as his peer. But I could see worry in their eyes as they glanced around, sensing the disquiet in the ranks. Maybe they could disregard my rantings as the words of a madman, but they certainly couldn¡¯t ignore the emotions of that many mortals.


    It was then that the teleportation matrix flashed for the last time. The sergeant brothers and their other two aides appeared and strode immediately out of the circle.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    I didn¡¯t let myself hesitate.


    ¡°My lord!¡± I threw myself on my knees in front of Glaustro, using the highest title of honor allowed by demon etiquette. ¡°My lord, there is something wrong. The cracks, they are growing in power, and I don¡¯t know what¡¯s happening, but they look like the barrier did, and the panic ¡ª¡±


    Another wave of nausea washed over me, cutting off my speech, and I groaned. The light pouring from the cracks was still sickeningly insubstantial and yet undeniably strong. I felt like I was about to have a seizure.


    I almost collapsed, and would have if someone hadn¡¯t grabbed me, holding me up. I just managed to lift my head in time to see the look of confusion on my commander¡¯s face change swiftly into horror.


    ¡°To me! Now!¡± Glaustro screamed as mana billowed out of him in overwhelming waves.


    Half of my mind recoiled and whimpered, urging me to claw my way out of his hold if I had to. The other half of me suddenly settled down, filled with a startling certainty that I¡¯d be just fine.


    I was so caught up in the duality of my feelings that I barely noticed everyone else¡¯s reactions.


    Mia was relatively close by. She must have followed me even when I charged at the demons. The aides, too, obeyed their commander instantly.


    Some of the humans were far more hesitant to comply.


    The demon¡¯s roar and the wave of his mana were alarming enough on their own, even without their underlying abyssal quality which struck instinctive fear into every mortal soul. Only a third of the mortals managed to push through that fear and approach Glaustro quickly enough.


    I felt Glaustro¡¯s mana gust under me. It lifted me an inch off the floor, finishing a barrier that cut us off completely from the world on all sides. The barrier turned opaque as it firmed up, but just before it finished, I managed to catch one more glimpse of the cracks that were wreaking such havoc on my mind.


    In that instant, their glow erupted, and the outside world was consumed in a kaleidoscope of colors.


    My ears rang and then popped, both from the screams of mortals and from the force of the explosion. My head was spinning viciously. My body felt like a rag, wrung out and left to dry. I couldn¡¯t see. Darkness consumed me, bringing with it a profound fear. Then I realized I had squeezed my eyes shut against the terrible brightness, and forced them open.


    The world looked wobbly and oddly smudged, but I could just make out a red figure kneeling on the ground next to me. Color was leaking out of them and staining the floor. Some of it leaked onto my hand, and I winced at the stinging sensation on my skin.


    I pulled my hand closer, blinking my eyes rapidly.


    Blood.


    It was blood that stained my hand, and it was sizzling as it ate through my skin.


    I brushed it off on the floor as quickly as I could, but that just made me realize how awkwardly I had fallen. I was lying on my side, one arm crushed beneath my body, my sword digging painfully into my hip. For some reason, I found it funny that the pain started only when I noticed my position. A crazed giggle slipped from my lips.


    It cut off quickly because my eyes finally recognized the leaking, humanoid-shaped red blur beside me.


    Glaustro.


    The demon was bent over, barely keeping himself upright on his knees. Blood, an odd mix of red and black, was seeping thickly out of every orifice on his face.


    I heard a voice warble something unintelligible, and Graighast pushed onto the scene. He knelt next to his brother, supporting him with such naked worry that most demons would probably consider his behavior uncouth. That didn¡¯t stop him. He forced a potion down Glaustro¡¯s mouth, keeping up a steady stream of gibberish.


    Why can¡¯t I understand him? I wondered idly, feeling oddly numb. All the panic and stress and whatever other torturous emotions I was experiencing had fled, leaving an absolute void in their place. I should be able to understand him.


    I wobbled as I pushed myself into a sitting position. More voices rose and fell around me, but none of them were making sense. I could barely even hear them. There was also an uncomfortable sensation on my neck, like something creeping over my skin, and I reached up absentmindedly to brush it away.


    My fingers came away red.


    I had to stare at them for several seconds before I realized what was happening. Cautiously, still caught in that emotionless void, I traced my fingers up the trail of blood and all the way to my ear.


    I finally thought to look around me then. I spotted more than a few mortals sitting or lying on the ground, dazed, with trails of blood leaking out of their ears.


    My ears are shot, then.


    The realization didn¡¯t inspire terror. Or if it did, the feeling got swallowed up by the emotional void, along with everything else. I just reached mechanically for the spot on my belt where I kept the healing potion. It was still in one piece. At least the alchemist hadn¡¯t lied to me about the toughness of his vials.


    I went to chug it all down, then hesitated. If it was really as efficacious as advertised, then maybe I wouldn¡¯t need all of it? I chose to take a single gulp from the small vial. That left about half the potion behind.


    I felt the power of the concoction as soon as it hit my tongue. Rather than flowing down my throat, it seeped into my flesh, snaking through my body like lightning. Some of it coursed through the whole of me, fixing bruises and aches I wasn¡¯t even aware of.


    But most of the potion¡¯s power focused on my ears. I heard a loud pop. Another wave of dizziness nearly made me pass out. Then the pain faded, and the indistinct sounds around me resolved into cries for help and moans of misery.


    My placid expression crumpled, and distress stirred in the emotional void.


    Turns out hearing loss can be an advantage.


    I didn¡¯t let myself get overwhelmed. Not again. I stumbled to my feet as my body slowly remembered how to function.


    It didn¡¯t take me long to find Mia. The cat lady had been following me, determined to help me in spite of our awkward parting. She was curled up on the ground just a few feet away, hands clasped over her ears.


    The blood seeping between her claws wasn¡¯t encouraging.


    Still, her eyes were shut, and she was trembling gently. At least I knew she was alive. Now I just had to get the rest of my potion into her.


    Muttering vague reassurances, I pulled her into a sitting position. Her eyes opened and squinted in my direction. I raised the vial to her lips. She hesitated, but when I tipped the vial, she drank.


    Watching the potion work on someone else was fascinating. Her body loosened up almost immediately. A second later, she tentatively pulled her hands away from the fluffy cat ears adorning her head.


    ¡°Better?¡± I whispered. I was rewarded with a small smile and a nod.


    Her well-being was a nice temporary distraction, but with that seen to, I had no more excuses to ignore the world around me.


    Slowly, I looked up at the barrier stretching over us. It was riddled with cracks and looked like it would collapse into glittering motes of red mana at any second, but it still held. Another barrier had joined it at some point, forming a secondary layer that pressed tightly to the first. Maybe that was the only reason the original barrier had made it.


    But the scene beyond the barriers was far more alarming. The floor of the cavern had been reduced to debris. The teleportation matrix was gone. Rough chunks of stone pressed down on the mana dome from every direction, trapping us in.


    Most of the mortals who obeyed Glaustro¡¯s order were inside the barrier, in various states of discombobulating. The rest? Well, the smears of blood and flesh on the outermost barrier told the story of their fate.


    We were stuck under who knows how much rock and earth and whatever else. With how things happened, I seriously doubted that a rescue was on its way.


    But we were the lucky ones.

 Chapter 42: The Damage

    I was never claustrophobic. Neither was Hayden. Even if tight spaces were an issue for him, he would have trained himself out of it or been killed for failing to do so. That meant the feeling of tightness in my chest had nothing to do with claustrophobia.


    But the realization that we were two barriers away from getting squished by literal tons of stone?


    That was a problem.


    I was honestly proud of myself that I didn¡¯t spiral into a twitching mess on the ground. But I knew better than to trust in my own continued courage, or in the numbness of the emotional void lingering inside me. Instead, I chose to draw strength from the two commanders.


    Graighast was still fussing over his brother, though I could see the mounting frustration on Glaustro¡¯s face as the other demon invaded his privacy. Not that Glaustro was in any condition to protest such treatment. His skin was glistening with tracks left by his own blood. The tide was now stemmed, but he looked shaken and weak.


    We were only alive because of the barrier he had thrown up against the explosion. But he was paying a steep price for our survival.


    It took three potions before Glaustro finally grunted, pushed his brother away, and swayed to his feet. Even then, he looked like a single stiff breeze might knock him over.


    ¡°Hayden Hall, to me,¡± he rumbled, managing to inject a shocking amount of strength into his voice.


    I didn¡¯t hesitate to obey. The last time the man had given such an order, he saved my life. The least he deserved was my loyalty.


    ¡°Commander?¡±


    My voice sounded squeaky in my ears. He nodded firmly at me anyway, and unless I was way off the mark, it was approval I saw in his eyes.


    ¡°Explain what happened, soldier.¡±


    Soldier. Not recruit. Soldier.


    In spite of everything, I smiled.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t react well to being teleported, commander. I felt sick to my bones when I showed up, and all the glowing cracks in the room just made it worse. At first, I thought they were some sort of ritual lines. Possibly to anchor the teleportation. I only realized they weren¡¯t when I took a closer look at them. They were¡­ odd.¡±


    ¡°Odd how?¡± Graighast butted into the conversation, much to Glaustro¡¯s visible displeasure. Notably, though, he didn¡¯t snap at his brother.


    I struggled to explain. ¡°It hurt to look at them, and it was like¡­ like they both were and weren¡¯t there. They¡¯d vanish and pop back into view constantly. The demons couldn¡¯t see them, and none of my fellow recruits seemed to share my symptoms.¡±


    Both sergeants frowned. Then Glaustro¡¯s eyes widened, and he took a step closer to me, gripping my shoulder. For a moment, I felt a vast presence peer directly into my soul.


    When he pulled away, Glaustro was giving me an odd look.


    ¡°You are almost halfway through your ascension, soldier. Did you spend all the souls you had on it? Against my advice?¡±


    I almost winced at the mild warning in his voice, but even that fear was quickly subsumed by the void in my chest.


    ¡°No, sir. I still have around three hundred souls, sir. I just decided it would be best not to carry such a large number of souls with me.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why you put some of them in the bank, soldier.¡± Glaustro sighed, but he didn¡¯t seem upset. ¡°While your decision to suddenly progress your ascension by as much as fifty percent is¡­ suspect, it did allow us to recognize the trap laid by our enemies. Unless I¡¯m seriously wrong, whatever offensive ward they placed here was set up in a way that rendered it invisible to a regular demon. I assume it targeted our mana in some way, since it had that much of an effect on you.¡±


    Graighast looked taken aback, but I didn¡¯t know why. Glaustro immediately noticed my confusion.


    ¡°Ascension is the process of establishing a proper link to the heart of the Abyss, as well as acclimating your soul to its mana,¡± he explained. ¡°This happens by gradually replacing a percentage of your mana with mana born of the Abyss. Demonic mana, if you prefer. The ability to see mana and interact with it depends on our soul and the mana it exudes. So, since half your mana is now demonic, and the ward was designed to prevent anyone with such mana from detecting it, you had an adverse reaction.¡±


    ¡°And all the recruits, as mortals, noticed it immediately,¡± I said in a hushed voice. ¡°Except they saw that demons weren¡¯t reacting to the spectacle and decided to ignore it, too.¡±


    Glaustro nodded bitterly. ¡°The trap almost worked. If you hadn¡¯t drawn my attention to it, and I didn¡¯t sense the subtle emanations of mana the ward was releasing¡­¡±


    The demon trailed off, but I could read the unpleasant conclusion in his grim expression.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    We were quiet for a second. Then a new thought occurred to me, and I felt my stomach plummet, even amidst my current emotional numbness.


    ¡°What about the rest of the troops?¡± I asked desperately. ¡°The demons that were already dispatched? This ward couldn¡¯t possibly have covered the entire city, right?¡±


    Bronwynn¡¯s face kept flashing through my mind. He had tried to warn me, to stop me, when he noticed something was off. I still wasn¡¯t sure what had happened back there, and my memories from before I passed through the teleportation matrix were fuzzy, but he was definitely worried about my well-being.


    ¡°No one has tried to reach us yet,¡± Graighast stated in a dangerously cold voice. His eyes were flinty, and he kept stealing glances at all the blood splatters on the outside of Glaustro¡¯s barrier. ¡°Logic dictates that if they were in any condition to try, they would have done it by now.¡±


    The void in my chest wavered in a cloud of worry.


    Bronwynn had seen to my burns. He had shared his wisdom with me, no matter how reluctantly. He had tried to warn me away from doing something stupid when he noticed the stupid mortal recruit was acting strange.


    And now he was somewhere out there, possibly injured. Possibly suffering. Possibly¡­


    I was part of a demonic invasion. I knew we were technically the aggressors. Still, I felt a spark of resentment against the locals erupt inside me, burning even through the emotional void. It was different from the bloodlust I had before. This was hatred, the type one reserved for true enemies.


    ¡°We need to dig our way out.¡± Graighast stared upwards, eyes narrowed like he was trying to peer straight through all the stone.


    For all I knew, maybe he was succeeding.


    ¡°By all means, brother.¡± There was still venom in Glaustro¡¯s voice, even if it was much less pronounced than before. ¡°If you want to do it, go ahead. I¡¯m a little busy holding up the roof after stopping the spatial explosion.¡±


    Graighast sighed and shook his head before closing his eyes. He focused. Mana started to drip off him, slowly at first, then turning into a deluge. But it didn¡¯t spread out. It pooled around his feet, its color deepening as its texture grew richer.


    Standing so close, I felt the pressure of his mana mounting every moment, until it reached an almost suffocating crescendo. Then he raised his arms. His claws slashed through the air, slowly forming a string of runes that gradually built up into a circle of symbols. Just looking at it hurt my brain. It was linked in some arcane way I couldn¡¯t understand, but a single glance burned the formation deep into my memory.


    Finally, the demon finished. The runic matrix pulsed. As Graighast stepped away, all his prepared mana surged into the shape of a spear. It hung suspended in the air for one second, then rocketed up through the runic matrix. Passing effortlessly through the barriers, the spear erased a perfect circle of stone from existence, leaving a hole at least three yards wide. A shaft of pale sunlight filtered down into the cavern.


    All I could do was gape at the stunning show of might. Graighast didn¡¯t even seem winded. His face was still set in a grimace of displeasure, like the extraordinary feat wasn¡¯t worth mentioning.


    That only made the question all the more alarming: if this was the level of magic Graighast could casually conjure, just how powerful was the ward that had almost killed us all and knocked Glaustro nearly out of commission?


    ¡°A brute-force solution, I admit, but it worked.¡± Graighast looked at the surviving mortals and the other five demons. ¡°Gather round now. It will be easier to get us out of this wretched hole if you¡¯re clustered somewhat closer together.¡±


    People rushed to comply, and Graighast patiently prepared another spell. It was much simpler this time, a mere few runes carved into the air, and no pooling of mana around his feet. Once it was ready, the spell sank into the ground beneath us, making the rock flow like water until we were standing on a circle of glowing stone.


    The circle rose, carrying us up into the air. We passed through the brothers¡¯ protective domes. The barriers rippled around us, shrinking until they covered us tightly. The circle continued to rise, and we rose with it, higher and higher through the hole Graighast¡¯s spear had created.


    The promise of freedom and the gentle sunlight drifting down on us almost melted away the void inside my chest. That is, until we finally cleared the hole and got our first glimpse of the city.


    Ruins stretched as far as the eye could see.


    Countless houses had been reduced to piles of rubble. Once proud walls were now heaps of rock. The explosion had clearly originated from within the city because the debris was scattered far past its previous borders into the surrounding fields.


    To my utter shock, the city was not entirely lifeless.


    Scattered groups of demons milled around the ruins, most severely hurt. Some were little more than quivering torsos riddled with grisly wounds. Many others were missing one or more of their limbs.


    ¡°Pretas, report,¡± Glaustro¡¯s voice called angrily.


    The demon who stepped forward was barely injured, just a few gashes and bruises. My eyes widened a fraction. This was the demon who had torched my arms, and then offhandedly given me advice about my weapon after I made him laugh.


    ¡°Yes, commander. We followed our orders and rushed from the concealed tunnel to storm the city¡¯s defenses. The barrier was already up, but we separated into groups, thinking we could quickly pin down and take out the sacrificial sites. That¡¯s when we noticed something was wrong, commander.¡±


    Pretas¡¯ expression was sour as he paused, his eyes briefly flitting to all the badly hurt demons before he continued.


    ¡°There were far too few defenders. They barely had enough people to cover the walls, and even then, not very well. We couldn¡¯t spot any civilians either. We thought they were just hiding at first, but we couldn¡¯t sense their emotions or their souls. The explosion erupted when we were just about to reach the wall.¡±


    ¡°You said the barrier was already up?¡± Graighast asked.


    Pretas nodded. ¡°Yes, sergeant. It only exacerbated our losses. Without the barrier, the explosion would have launched us away from the city, but most of us would have made it. Since it was up, it trapped the explosion and amplified its power. There was a synergy between the two. I swear on my soul the explosion doubled in strength when it bounced off the barrier. Only those of us skilled at putting up defense wards and mana shields survived.¡±


    ¡®Survived¡¯ was doing a lot of heavy lifting in that sentence. ¡®Barely squeaked by¡¯ was much more accurate. Most of the demons around us resembled twisted pieces of art rather than living creatures.


    But as callous as I might sound, their suffering was none of my concern. I was barely paying attention as Pretas continued his report.


    No, I was desperately scanning the crowd for the one demon whose survival I actually cared about. The longer I couldn¡¯t find him, the more my heart sank, shaking the emotional void that had a grip on me.


    Nothing. I couldn¡¯t find Bronwynn. None of the wriggling, mutilated demons even resembled him.


    He was gone.


    The unfeeling void inside me finally cracked, then shattered, drowning in a tide of uncontrollable rage.

 Chapter 43: Fury

    Anger coursed through me like thick, bitter syrup, infecting every inch of my soul.


    The urge to find those responsible was overwhelming. I wanted to find them, and then inflict unspeakable pain upon them, tortures I¡¯d only ever seen bored trainees perform on slaves.


    Unfortunately, reality cared very little for my desires. I had to stand there, waiting, as Glaustro and Graighast ordered the demons to sweep for other survivors. They briefly considered giving the same order to the mortal troops, but discarded the idea quickly. We were neither sensitive enough to track mana properly, nor powerful enough to assist if we found someone under rubble.


    That was a fair assessment, even if it did mean my blinding rage still had no outlet.


    ¡°We can only hope that the others have seen similar levels of devastation dealt to their own troops.¡± Graighast¡¯s callous words pierced through my furious haze, and I glanced at his expression.


    It was a dreadful mix of anger and towering fear. For a moment, I couldn¡¯t understand that particular combination, but then the words Hayden heard in the training camp far too often echoed in my mind.


    Demons do not tolerate failure.


    If other troops had fared just as badly as we did, then we wouldn¡¯t necessarily be perceived as failures. Sure, the invasion would still be floundering, but at least they couldn¡¯t single out our two commanders. We would only be in trouble if the general decided to burn an entire invasion force to the ground just to prove a point. Considering how many resources that would waste? I was pretty sure we were in the clear for that scenario.


    Besides, there was another option, one that Graighast didn¡¯t mention. That was rather kind of him, actually. Since a decent number of us managed to survive, if any of the other sergeants got completely wiped out, we would automatically be shining examples of demonic excellence, no?


    I was surprised that I could think so analytically. Fury was still burning inside my chest. Normally, such an overwhelming emotion would have sent me into a destructive spiral.


    But with each passing moment, I found myself feeling oddly¡­ focused. The rage was definitely still there. It still fought to drive my actions, and I was even inclined to let it. But it was freezing over, crystallizing into an efficient fuel that promised true vengeance for my foes rather than my own fiery death.


    ¡°We don¡¯t have time for this shit,¡± Glaustro snapped, pulling my attention back to the two commanders. I idly noted that he usually descended into vulgarity only when he was really upset. ¡°Damn it all, we¡¯re going to have to burn good souls just to establish an anchor point here. Is it even worth it?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± his brother was quick to assure him. ¡°If we do that quickly, we can be the first, or among the first, to report what happened here.¡±


    ¡°And get fucking punished for it? You really want to drag this shit to the general?¡±


    Glaustro was a snarling mask of fury, but his brother refused to flinch.


    ¡°As opposed to what?¡± Graighast demanded. ¡°Hiding it? How? At a glance, we¡¯ve lost at least two thirds of our men. The only ones still alive are skilled mages and the lucky few who somehow managed to avoid the worst of the blast. Don¡¯t be daft, brother. There is no concealing this. We would be severely punished if we tried. Presenting valuable intelligence might even see us rewarded for our haste.¡±


    Glaustro¡¯s mace creaked from the fury of his grip, but he nodded. ¡°Fine, then. We¡¯ll¡­ go together. The failure is ours to share. I¡¯ll start establishing the anchoring ritual. You wrap up here. I don¡¯t want any of our men to accidentally get swept up in that shit and disappear to who knows where when the spatial magic kicks in.¡±


    The mention of said magic made me wince.


    It wasn¡¯t like I was surprised. Of course, spatial magic was involved in the demonic transformation of conquered cities. I had literally watched space ripple and waver as houses were replaced by demonic stores.


    But the more I learned about spatial magic, the less I understood, and the more terrifying it seemed.


    That was¡­ unsettling.


    Graighast simply nodded, watching as his brother launched himself off our floating disk of compacted stone. Once Glaustro was gone, Graighast brought us down to the cleanest stretch of ground he could find and allowed the stone disk to melt away.


    The released mana swept over the ground, sealing over cracks and strengthening spots weakened by the explosion. It was impressive, but I wasn¡¯t sure how much I trusted a quick-fix job to support a large group of mortals and four demons. Then again, if the city was going to collapse into a sinkhole, it probably would have done so already.


    ¡°Stay here,¡± Graighast ordered. ¡°Do not wander. I do not have time to go around saving mortals who somehow manage to get themselves stuck under shifting rubble. You will be perfectly safe here while the anchoring ritual does its job.¡±This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Even with my bloodthirsty rage, I wasn¡¯t about to disobey orders given to preserve my well-being. I contented myself with watching as Graighast prepared to cast another ritual.


    This time, he focused all his attention on the ground, carving symbols directly into it and feeding mana into them as he went. This explained his need for an open, stable area. By the time he was done, a large, two-yard circle was completely covered in demonic arcane symbols, and every last one shone with an angry red light.


    Graighast adjusted a few things here and there before nodding in satisfaction. I expected him to perform some grand gesture to trigger the spell he had spent so much effort preparing, but instead, he simply raised his foot and brought it down on the arcane matrix with one furious stomp.


    His spell erupted over the city in an angry tide. It washed over all legion troops harmlessly, but not without effect. Small red bubbles appeared over each of us, causing a brief bout of confusion when some of those bubbles repelled each other and scattered the mortals who stood too close together. As the spell rolled out, more red bubbles popped into existence around the injured demons on the ground, encasing each survivor in a protective layer. I even saw a few piles of rubble bulge upwards as demons buried underneath were caught up in the red wave.


    Like it was waiting for this signal, another wave of magic began to pick up. I couldn¡¯t figure out the point of origin, but it sent the city¡¯s remains wavering in and out of focus as space erupted into a fit.


    The anchoring ritual wasn¡¯t as smooth as usual. The magic almost looked sluggish to me. And when it washed over the houses and the ground, it revealed fading kaleidoscopic scars, jagged gashes in the fabric of reality. I saw the five demons with us visibly recoil.


    Really, how could anyone believe these were normal? I wondered bitterly, shooting my fellow recruits a nasty look. I conveniently ignored that I probably would have thought the same, if it weren¡¯t for the horrible reaction of my half-ascended mana. Still, I liked to think I¡¯d at least feel suspicious.


    The stalemate between the ritual and the scars didn¡¯t last long. I felt a wave of anger that wasn¡¯t mine pulse through the air, and then the ritual¡¯s magic surged over the spatial scarring, rapidly washing it away. The ruined city wavered one last time before it was shunted away from its original plane, replaced by the familiar outlines of orderly demonic establishments.


    In the same moment, bubble-wrapped demons were dislodged from their rubble prisons. The bubbles popped, unceremoniously dropping the survivors onto the swiftly forming cobblestones of a demon-owned street. Most of them were in an atrocious state, and their fellows quickly came to the rescue, dragging them back to where Graighast was now waiting patiently for the whole process to be over.


    Finally, finally, everything stabilized. Doors swung open around us, and demons surged out of the shops and restaurants, ready to welcome the legion and kick off their temporary new lives. Of course, this gave them a perfect view of the savaged troops as we lingered in the middle of the street.


    Noticing the looks we were receiving, Graighast quickly stepped forward to draw everyone¡¯s attention.


    ¡°You are dismissed, for now. Go rest, heal, and celebrate. Yes, I do mean celebrate. We survived a challenge that our enemies should not have been capable of presenting. I¡­ am not sure how long we will tarry here. It might be as long as a week, or as short as a day. It all depends on the other fronts, and how quickly and viciously command wants us to respond. Be ready to answer when you are called.¡±


    With those cheery parting words, Graighast stalked away from us, leaving a bunch of genuinely hurt demons and confused mortals behind.


    The second I was dismissed, I was moving. Ungrateful brat that I am, I didn¡¯t even think to check on Mia. No, I just stalked the streets, finally giving my anger free rein, letting it consume me one thought at a time.


    I honestly don¡¯t know if it was providence or chance or some cosmic joke, but when I eventually lifted my eyes, they landed on the familiar fa?ade of the Apple Infernal inn.


    I entered without hesitation.


    The crimson-suited demoness who had delivered the inn¡¯s warning might have been lying. Maybe I actually would be under watch. But then, so what? What was the worst they could do to me? Were they going to blow me up the second I set foot inside my room?


    They weren¡¯t the ones who killed the one demon who genuinely gave a shit about me and was willing to help.


    I marched up to the counter, my nails digging furrows into my skin. I was one hundred percent sure the receptionists were being slammed by my emotions, but they showed no outward sign of it.


    ¡°We are extremely happy to see you, dear customer,¡± the receptionist chirped before I could say anything. ¡°Our system detected that a number of our regulars have suddenly dropped out of the invasion, and we were worried about our valuable clients! We still don¡¯t know what happened, but rest assured. Apple Infernal is here to support you through anything.¡±


    I stared blankly at the smiling demoness. She looked so genuine while she ¡®reassured¡¯ me that I had no idea what to do. Rage was clearly not the answer here, not that I could have wielded it against her anyway.


    There was a magnetic quality to her eyes that drew me in and grounded me. It wasn¡¯t enough to erase all the anguish wreaking havoc on my thoughts and emotions, but it was enough to slow the tide. While I kept looking into her eyes, I knew peace. I knew everything would be all right.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how long I can stay. The sergeant didn¡¯t give us a timeline. Everything is a mess.¡± I reached for my soul purse, trying to determine an appropriate number of souls for ¡®I might be staying a week or a day.¡¯


    To my surprise, she stopped me. ¡°Oh, none of that now, dear customer. You have been loyally staying with us since the start of this invasion! In light of all the recent events, your stay with us this time is free.¡± She leaned over the counter to hand me a room key. Then, giving me a wink, she dropped her voice to a conspiratorial whisper. ¡°Please, do avail yourself of all our services. You¡¯ll find our lovely inn offers much more than a warm bed and food!¡±


    I nodded numbly, then staggered over to the stairs leading out of the lobby. A brief glance at my room key revealed I was on the first floor this time, probably because I was one of the first legion troops to arrive at the Apple.


    And because the legion¡¯s numbers were now severely reduced¡­


    My slightly improved mood instantly took a nosedive again.


    By the time I found my newly assigned room, I was a mess. I barely found enough strength to stumble onto the bed and curl up into a ball.


    I almost died today. I almost died, and there was nothing I could do about it. This wasn¡¯t a fight. I can¡¯t just get better at the sword or grow my mana to combat this. Demons died. Bronwynn died.


    I started to shudder as my anger, my grief, and my fear tore me apart.

 Chapter 44: Caution

    At first, I didn¡¯t realize I was dreaming.


    I wasn¡¯t sure how long I had been lying there, curled up in a ball, wracked with anguish. All that existed for me were the emotions warring inside my chest. I barely noticed when my shivering limbs stopped responding to any of my commands. I couldn¡¯t move. I couldn¡¯t think.


    It wasn¡¯t until I heard the scream that things changed.


    Suddenly, my body was moving, though not in response to my will. I was on my feet in record time, my sword held loosely in my right hand.


    Across from me stood a woman wielding a dagger. If I was in actual control of myself, I might have failed to dodge her desperate attempt to stab me. As it was, I parried the strike easily. Her dagger clattered to the ground with finality as she crumpled away from me, unharmed but scared out of her wits.


    ¡°Please! Please, I¡¯m pregnant. I was just trying to defend myself. Please!¡±


    I wanted to recoil. I wanted to sprint away from my long-dead victim. But my body moved relentlessly onwards, and I lifted my sword helplessly. Mechanically. It came down in a spray of blood, and the poor begging civilian died for the second time.


    Except this time, her corpse was did not stay silent.


    Laughter erupted from her mouth, choked slightly by the blood pooling there, and the woman turned empty eyes to lock on mine.


    ¡°Easy, was it? Killing me. You are a disgrace. In that body for less than a day, and look at how much good you did. Did you feel strong? Like a survivor?¡±


    Finally regaining control of myself, I lashed out blindly. I wanted the words to stop. My sword bit right through her throat, slicking it apart.


    It did nothing to deter her. Somehow, she pulled herself upright. Her movement was jerky and erratic, like a marionette getting tugged into the right position. But she was standing, and she refused to shut up.


    ¡°So many dead, because of you. But that wasn¡¯t enough for you, was it?¡± Her voice was a broken rasp. ¡°No. Now, you go around causing the death of your allies, too!¡±


    She spoke with such glee that I backed away, though I refused to cover my ears or close my eyes. I didn¡¯t want to lose sight of her and let her get too close. But mostly, I felt an odd sense of rightness in her accusations, like I deserved to have it all rubbed in my face.


    I stumbled back a step further, then froze when I slammed into someone¡¯s chest. I tried to whirl around and respond violently to the intruder, but powerful arms locked around me and kept me stuck.


    Arms that were a familiar light red¡­ or pink, if you were so inclined.


    Human-ish pink.


    ¡°You could have warned me.¡± Bronwynn¡¯s voice grated in my ear. My brain locked up, heedless of the approaching female cadaver. ¡°You said nothing. You just whimpered and loitered around in that cave like the useless fool you are. You don¡¯t even remember what I told you, do you? So drunk on your successes, so taken by your puny improvement.¡±


    I tried to cry out, but my voice wouldn¡¯t obey. I couldn¡¯t make a sound. Then a surge of mana-born strength filled me, and I managed to throw off his hold. I spun around, then choked up at the sight of Bronwynn.


    One of his eyes was gone, just a trail of disgusting juices sliding down his cheek. The other burned as it stared at me from the ruined landscape of his face. Cuts and burns marred every inch of his skin, from the top of his half-melted head to his toes. Even his arms, that had looked whole just a moment ago, were riddled with craters and pockets of oozing pus.


    His chest was the worst, though. It was torn open, revealing the mess of pulsing muscle his heart had become. The rest of his organs were mere mulch, pooling through his insides and leaking from the holes in his skin.


    My lips moved, trying to form the words pounding silently through my mind.


    I didn¡¯t¡ª I couldn¡¯t have known ¡ª I was just¡ª


    The useless thoughts shattered as another set of arms gripped me, then another, and another.


    I tried to twist away from them, but wherever I looked, I only saw face of the dead. Faces of people I¡¯d killed. When did I even kill so many? How could I remember them so clearly?


    ¡°Your turn, Hayden. Do try to scream. We¡¯re all here for it,¡± Bronwynn mocked.


    Reaching out a hand, he pressed it lightly against my chest. Then he flexed his claws. They sank easily through my metal armor, digging deep into my flesh.


    I screamed.


    ¡ª


    I jerked awake, a muted scream caught in my throat as I thrashed and fought against arms that didn¡¯t exist. Phantom pain lingered in my chest. My mana flared out, followed shortly by the sound of ripping as I savaged the sheets that I had somehow managed to bundle myself in.


    Only when I tumbled out of the bed and hit the ground with a loud, meaty thud did I go still. The coolness of the floor and the fresh surge of actual pain in my face were enough to banish the last shreds of the nightmare.


    I didn¡¯t feel better for it.


    A deep sense of weariness settled into my bones as I clambered to my feet and stumbled to the bathroom. I felt tired, dirty, and irrevocably stained.


    I had done such a good job at ignoring the reality of my situation for so long, I convinced myself I was coping. But as I went to the shower and unleashed water nearly hot enough to scald me, I had to admit that I was not.


    My ¡®conceal, don¡¯t feel¡¯ strategy was utter crap. Goes to show what you get from following animated movie logic when you¡¯re stuck in the body of a demonic recruit unleashed upon an unsuspecting world.


    My armor clattered to the ground around me as I stripped it off carelessly. I loved that armor. It felt like a real victory when I got it, and the fact that it came from one of the nicest demons I had ever met was a nice bonus too. Now I could barely stand the thought of putting it on again.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    I took a carefully crafted piece of art, and then I stained it with the blood of innocents who were just trying to protect their home.


    I threw my sword as far from me as I could. It landed somewhere in the bedroom as I stepped under the spray of hot water.


    The water failed to do its magic. Moments like that, when I was afforded basic conveniences and allowed to feel like an actual human being, usually felt like a treat. A reward for surviving. Now, it was yet another reminder that I was paying for all of it with literal souls.


    I wanted to lash out, to put as much mana into my fists as I could and just pummel the wall, or something similarly stupid.


    I didn¡¯t. I had no clue what I would need to survive next, but whatever it was, broken hands would definitely not help me.


    Besides, I had damaged the room enough already with my mistreatment of the sheets. I wasn¡¯t sure if they would charge me for those or if it would go on my record with them. As inane as it sounds, I really didn¡¯t want to get banned from the Apple Infernal. With the guaranteed safety and the strangely modern amenities, it was starting to feel suspiciously like home.


    I eventually scrounged up enough will to do more than just stand there, and actually cleaned up. I also had just enough guilt in me to put effort into cleaning and maintaining my armor. Yules didn¡¯t deserve to have a shoddy piece of trash paraded around as the best advertisement for her work.


    After that, I lost myself for a while. I was barely aware of the passage of time. I drifted through the days, dreading the nightmares that swallowed me whenever I tried to sleep.


    Once, a demoness knocked on my door, chirpily reminding me that I could come down to eat, or they could bring the food up to my room at mealtime. I opted for the latter, and mechanically ate whenever they presented me with food.


    For the life of me, though, I cannot remember what the food actually was, or how it tasted.


    Past that, the only thing I could really stomach was my mage training. It was simple enough, and its meditative nature dragged me away from all the chaos that dominated my head.


    More importantly, it was the path Bronwynn had pushed me down, back when I attempted to needle him for information. Now that he was gone, failing to follow through felt like an insult to his memory.


    Of course, I knew he wasn¡¯t actually dead. Demons were immortal unless they were killed on the mortal plane and in the Abyss. But I had no clue how demonic troops were organized, or how soldiers were shuffled between different commanders. With so many demons running around, I had to face the fact that I might never see the man again.


    Even if he was immediately shipped back out to Berlis, would they place him under Glaustro again?


    And if they did, would he even want to talk to me?


    His last memory of me was one of a stupid recruit ignoring him as he tried to help. Then I wasted a bunch of time gibbering about cracks, and he got blown up. The misery of this thought only made me sink further into the messy bed I hadn¡¯t bothered to fix up since the time I first collapsed into it.


    Eventually, though, something had to give. And it wasn¡¯t my depression. The honor of breaking the stalemate went to my brand, which erupted into agony matched only by the worst of my recent nightmares.


    I welcomed the pain, dragging my arm up to glance at the brand with casual slowness. It was torture, but it grounded me firmly in reality. My ability to discern between dreams and waking was starting to slip.


    Eventually, though, I did brush my fingers over the brand. Much as I enjoyed the misery of pain, I didn¡¯t want Glaustro to march into my room and kill me for ignoring orders.


    Oh, who am I kidding? He wouldn¡¯t show up himself. He would send someone to do it for him.


    The message was simple and to the point.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; box-shadow: 1px 1px 1px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.75); background: rgba(0, 75, 122, 1); border: 1px solid rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.25); width: 99.9745%; color: rgba(204, 204, 204, 1); padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 10px" border="1"><colgroup><col style="width: 100%"></colgroup>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>Gather in the city square within half an hour.</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Underneath it, however, bloomed a surprise.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; box-shadow: 1px 1px 1px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.75); background: rgba(0, 75, 122, 1); border: 1px solid rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.25); width: 99.9745%; color: rgba(204, 204, 204, 1); padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 10px" border="1"><colgroup><col style="width: 100%"></colgroup>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>


    Alert!


    You have a new Merit added to your service record:


    Berlis, city of Fleur¡¯s Watch ambush contribution (Ascendant Merit x1)


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    I stared blankly at the merit, then cackled. The cackling graduated to a full-on laugh that left me with tears in my eyes and pleasant warmth spreading throughout my body.


    Well, then. Maybe he wouldn¡¯t have me executed for insubordination. Maybe I would just be punished instead. I¡¯m an important boy now!


    I shook my head at the inane thoughts, then swiftly went about gathering up my armor. It felt¡­ good, to have direction again. As simple as the order was, it gave me purpose. It gave me something to focus on other than the wailing ghosts inside my head.


    I actually had a smile on my face when I entered the inn¡¯s lobby and approached the reception desk. ¡°Hi, I¡¯d like to return my key. Also, I¡­ well, I had a nightmare, and there was an accident. Some sheets need to be replaced. How much will the damages cost?¡±


    The demoness paused, then gave me a surprisingly gentle smile. ¡°No need to worry, dear customer. We understand that accidents happen around people capable of amazing physical feats. In this case, the fault is not your own, since you didn¡¯t pick a fight or act belligerently. The damages are on the house. You have a good day now, dear customer!¡±


    I nodded my thanks and quickly wished her an equally nice day. Then I beat a hasty retreat. She was exceedingly polite with me, but rather than feeling reassured, I just felt more awkward. I didn¡¯t think I deserved polite treatment right then.


    I refocused quickly enough once I was out of the hotel. For the first time in a while, my mind was working actively in the direction of my survival, and the assessment was grim. I had not done much to improve my long-term chances.


    Most of all, I was seriously beating myself up for not going out to buy a replacement healing potion. I had the souls for it, and the last one had done an incredible job of getting me back on my feet quickly.


    Nothing for it now. I¡¯m going to have to manage without one.


    I wasn¡¯t going to risk running late just to pick one up. Good thing too, since when I arrived at the meeting place, Glaustro was already there.


    He looked agitated, pacing back and forth at the edge of the square. His eyes kept wandering towards a caf¨¦ near the corner. There was no one at the tables out front, but I thought I could spy a demon sitting inside.


    The rest of our troops assembled quite quickly after that. I wasn¡¯t the only one in a hurry to get there. Glaustro nodded in approval when the last few stragglers arrived well ahead of the deadline.


    ¡°Excellent. You are all here. Now, first, I have news. Our attempt to push deeper into the kingdom using the teleportation network was a coordinated effort. Unfortunately, every unit encountered a trap identical to the one we faced. Most of them did not fare anywhere near as well as we did.¡±


    Glaustro was talking in an oddly formal tone of voice, and it was putting me on edge. I also couldn¡¯t help but notice that his brother was nowhere to be seen.


    ¡°Due to these recent developments, the general has decided to upgrade the threat level assessment of this world. This means our strategy had to be¡­ adjusted. As such, all demonic troops will be temporarily reorganized and placed under the command of higher ranking officers.¡±


    He paused, and I could swear I saw apology in his eyes when he looked towards us mortals.


    ¡°Fresh recruits, too, will be affected by this shift in policy. Namely, all mortal members of the legion present on-world will be placed into a single unit under the command of a logistics officer. Said officer is here, since he decided to start collecting his troops in this city. You will meet him as soon as he decides to present himself.¡±


    Those last words were growled in anger, and I just caught a snicker from the direction of the caf¨¦. The demon I had spotted rose and strolled outside at a leisurely pace, gracing us with the most arrogant smirk I ever had the misfortune of seeing.


    Maybe it was wrong, but even through the haze of my depression, I immediately disliked him strongly enough to shunt all my emotional baggage aside.

 Chapter 45: Adaptation

    It wasn¡¯t just the smirk and the dismissive attitude that made me hate the demon. There was something¡­ deeper to the sensation.


    In a way, he even seemed familiar. There was no reason for me to feel that way. I was certain that I had never seen the stupid demon with his stupid, perfect gray skin and stupid curly horns that twisted almost like a ram¡¯s in a full circle, before the pointy ends came to rest just inches above his stupid forehead. There was no reason for the sharp, perfect lines of his face to evoke a sense of disgust in me. Or for my sudden urge to yank out his perfect silver hair.


    Someone higher up had appointed this demon as my lord and master for the foreseeable future. Logic told me this should cause mild annoyance, at most. Yet I was seething, nearly as angry as I had been at Bronwynn¡¯s death.


    And I had no idea why.


    Glaustro sent me a startled look, so I knew all the demons were picking up on my sudden rush of rage and bewilderment. Of course, this included my new commander. His cocky smirk only grew as he leveled stormy blue eyes directly at me. I couldn¡¯t begin to guess what he was savoring more: my anger or my confusion.


    How do I know him? I¡¯ve never seen him before. Not even back at the training camp. I remember all my minders and all the demons that came to evaluate us, so he was definitely not one of them. And yet...


    The familiarity I felt was bone-deep. That much I was sure of, just like I knew this familiarity was the true source of my new hatred. But that didn¡¯t help me understand it, much less fight it.


    I was seriously getting tired of being jerked around by emotions. It had happened a lot recently. First the desperate need and fear when faced with the spatial cracks, then the rage and depression, and now whatever the hell it was that rose up against this new demon.


    I was so distracted by the emotions and my reactions to them that I almost overlooked my own thoughts. When they finally clicked, however, I froze. The sudden anger and resulting confusion didn¡¯t disappear, but they dimmed, fading behind a spiral of doubt and worry that swallowed me whole.


    Until that moment, I didn¡¯t realize just how blurry the boundary between me and Hayden had become.


    No longer were his memories something I didn¡¯t perceive as my own. No longer could I pretend that his thoughts, ambitions, and feelings weren¡¯t influencing me. Hell, I could even remember more, like some hidden bits of his shattered memories were swimming up to the surface of my mind, knowing I was more open to them. Small, treasured moments of peace and solitude when I ¡ª when Hayden ¡ª managed to meet all the demands of his trainers or excel in classes. A few idle musings on what Hayden wanted, beyond simple glory and acceptance into the legion.


    And it was all so painfully mundane.


    Go figure that a lonely boy, with not a single family member or friend in sight, desperately wanted nothing more than someone he could trust and confide in.


    ¡°Well, you¡¯ve certainly got an interesting medley of useless layabouts here, sergeant. Precisely what I wanted when I got this posting, to be sure.¡± The new demon¡¯s voice was so thick with irony that Glaustro actually growled at him. ¡°Well, needs must, I suppose. I¡¯ll make the most of what I am given.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand why they put someone from logistics in charge of troops,¡± Glaustro fired back, arms crossed against his chest. ¡°This is not the right place for a paper pusher. Would be a horrible shame if the locals managed to catch you in one of their ambushes.¡±


    The other demon¡¯s eyes flashed with anger, but the emotion faded quickly.


    ¡°Oh, I assure you, sergeant, I am not useless in a fight. Besides, with our timetable shifting and most engagements moving to demon-only designations, the legion needs someone knowledgeable on the ground to search for any unique treasures or opportunities this world might possess. It would be a shame if we decided to purge it without proper investigation and missed out on something.¡±


    ¡°My fellow officers and I were perfectly capable of performing the job ourselves, as our reports thus far indicate,¡± Glaustro ground out, but there was a resigned quality to his voice I didn¡¯t like. ¡°And do not even try to sound put-upon. It was your department that filed the demand to make this happen. In fact, I know you requested this posting personally.¡±


    The demon waved a dismissive hand at Glaustro, his eyes roving over us mortals.


    ¡°Yes, well, just because something must be done does not mean I have to enjoy it. It is merely my duty to assist lesser minds with tasks they are not suited to. Besides, I would be careful in your bragging about successful surveys, sergeant. You only took up your post recently, and I do remember your predecessor engaged in some¡­ illicit harvesting of unsanctioned souls. Or am I wrong?¡±


    Glaustro did not answer. He turned away from the demon, addressing his former mortal troops. ¡°I believe we will see each other again, soldiers. Until then, I will leave you in the¡­ competent¡­ hands of officer Mercutio. You will have to ask him yourselves what his actual rank is because I never found mention of it anywhere. Odd, that.¡±


    Glaustro delivered those last words casually, but I heard snickering from other demons gathered at the square. I also caught the glare Mercutio sent him, filled with venomous hatred.


    And Glaustro wasn¡¯t done just yet, though. Instead of heading off with his troops, he walked straight towards me.


    I straightened at his approach, feeling a medley of emotions I never expected to associate with the man. My initial resentment had vanished long ago, replaced by fondness and gratitude for the rewards and advice he had given me.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    He wasn¡¯t my friend. He wasn¡¯t even my ally, really. Yet, I liked the grumpy commander all the same.


    ¡°Fine work that day, soldier,¡± Glaustro boomed, ensuring all would hear as he clapped me on the shoulder and shook my hand roughly. ¡°We owe our survival to you, at least in part. We could have weathered the trap, but it would have been a costly thing. Several other troops were wiped out entirely. I look forward to the day we meet again.¡±


    The sincerity of his words was so shocking, I almost missed the moment when he used the handshake as an excuse to push something into my hand.


    I balled up my fist and saluted the sergeant with my other hand, not trusting my voice to say anything. He gave me one final nod, then walked away.


    Mercutio tracked the progress of his fellow demons keenly as they retreated to the teleportation obelisk and used it to conjure a portal. Tension seeped out of his frame when they vanished, leaving him with only his much weaker charges.


    ¡°Well. That unpleasantness is done. Military types. So¡­ uncouth,¡± the demon grumbled.


    For all his bluster, I suddenly had the feeling that if Mercutio had pushed too far, Glaustro could have smeared him all over the square until there was nothing left of the logistics officer.


    Once more, the demon directed his full attention to us, this time with unconcealed malice. ¡°The lucky mortals, one of the few groups who survived the devastation from the locals. Such an embarrassment, that. A world this weak, actually killing demons?¡± Mercutio shook his head in mock regret, then swept his hand towards one side of the square. ¡°All of you, form up there. You will wait until the rest of your fellows are funneled here.¡±


    We obeyed, because what else could we do? Even if we chafed under his manner of addressing us, it wasn¡¯t like we could rise up and murder him. At best, we all would all die. At worst, we would succeed, and they would send someone far less pleasant with actual orders to torment and punish us.


    But as we continued to stand in the square, I began to wonder if those were, in fact, the exact orders Mercutio had received. We languished there for hours, backs straight and attention firmly fixed forward. The few times someone slipped, the demon appeared from the caf¨¦ like a wraith and started berating the whole troop.


    I received my summons after eating breakfast, which was a good thing. Standing in the square on an empty stomach would have been even more unpleasant. Less good, this meant we were out in the sun at the peak of the day¡¯s heat, surrounded by beautiful yet highly reflective stone that produced an oven-like effect.


    I could somewhat alleviate the sun¡¯s negative effects, thanks to my body strengthening and my increased mana capacity. Most of the other mortals were not as lucky, but there was nothing I could do for them, even if I wanted to. In fact, seeing as there was nothing else to do, I allowed myself to sink deep into my own mana.


    Now that my mind was clearer, I could sort through my recent memories enough to determine that I had spent only two days at the Apple Infernal. In that time, despite all the emotions, I somehow had the wherewithal to lie around but also absorb mana crystals.


    I remembered that I had entered the Apple Infernal with four layers around my mana core, one layer away from advancing to basic mage. I also remembered that when I first started absorbing mana crystals, back at the absorption station, I had advanced by a layer each day. During this two-day ¡®break,¡¯ however, I had absorbed a total of four crystals with no breakthrough forthcoming.


    It was an odd sensation. Mana had piled up around my core, some of it clinging to the core while the rest spiraled around the core in a vaporous state. But the core itself remained stagnant, unmoving, like it was waiting for something.


    In my dazed state during those two days, I didn¡¯t bother trying to figure out what that ¡®something¡¯ was. I just kept shoving more mana at the problem. Now that I had my wits about me? Well, I wasn¡¯t suddenly enlightened, but I could tell I had enough mana to advance.


    In fact, I knew I had enough to advance after the first day¡¯s stay at the Apple Infernal. But for some reason, I hadn¡¯t done so. Which naturally suggested there was more to the process than just accumulation.


    It was time to ask Clarinette.


    Carefully, I unlocked her memories and combed through them. They were still as clear as the first day I stole them, and it didn¡¯t take much time at all to find the moment when she finally advanced from an apprentice to a full mage.


    It was a momentous occasion for her, even if the memory was marred by the fact that nothing ultimately changed, and that her advancement wasn¡¯t the miracle cure she had prayed it would be.


    On that day, just like she always had to do, she kept her core spinning desperately, grasping for every drag of mana she could attract and shove through her bloodstream. She spun it faster and faster, counting on the spin and subtle manipulation to stop her core from bleeding more mana than she could supply.


    And then, finally, the moment came, and her power rocketed past what everyone kept telling her she would be able to wield.


    I compared her core to my own, and I had to admit I was found lacking. Where she had to manipulate her mana with all her will and ability, it came easily to me. So easily, in fact, that I had grown lazy in my pursuit of magic.


    I let some of Clarinette bleed through into me. I fed on her desires and desperation to exceed everyone¡¯s expectations. And, borne on the wings of her obsession, I made my core spin.


    It happened slowly at first. My core was content to sit there and act as the fulcrum of all my mana, but I prodded and insisted until it had to move according to my demands. With every rotation of the core, its speed picked up. Faster and faster it spun, until even the mana that was loitering around it and refusing to condense started pressing in. The sensation was almost painful, like I was trying to shove far too much mana into a small container.


    I persisted.


    If a girl with such a damaged core could succeed, why couldn¡¯t I? I had all the blessings I needed: I was born on a world superior to hers, I was raised learning how to manipulate mana, and I had resources she could never even dream of.


    Even as I worked, I had enough presence of mind to think about magic itself. Once more, I felt disgusted at how much I had let the shine of magic wear off.


    I had tried to cling to it once before, but other concerns had whisked away any mortification I felt at the loss of my childhood aspirations. Now, I clung to them more tightly than ever. I clung to that desire for magic I had when reading books, when rifling through stories of heroes and dragons and dark sorcerer kings.


    I willed it all into my core, my awe and my determination both. And instead of breaking under the weight of mana and my expectation, it adapted.


    My core briefly swelled, then collapsed inward with a ripple that was felt in the ambient mana all around me. The core size deflated as its density shot upwards, and its glow intensified. There was a qualitative change in its layers, a force that was absent before. My new brand of mana swept through my body, uplifting it, and my eyes shot open.


    They landed, by pure coincidence, on the angry, stormy eyes of my new commanding officer. The man was glaring at me like I owed him money, and when I smiled, he spun around and stormed off into his caf¨¦ hidey-hole.


    I wasn¡¯t worried.


    Just like my core, I could adapt. When Wilhelmina put me under pressure, I adapted. When Glaustro came along, I adapted. Mercutio was just the latest challenge I had to face.


    I was damned if I was going to let him crack me from the start.

 Chapter 46: Hostile Changes

    Progressing from the level of a mage apprentice to a mage proper was a momentous occasion in the life of any magic user in Berlis. Of course, the world was a poor one, able to support mana users of middling strength only. Still, the power that coursed through my veins made me downright giddy.


    Giddy enough that I could ignore my new superior¡¯s glower and continue smiling, even if that was probably a mistake in the long term.


    What I cherished far more than the newfound power in my mana core, however, was the sense of control over my emotions. The cool yet electrifying sensation of mana nourishing my soul pushed the negative feelings into a corner of my mind. The cloud of gloom and rage didn¡¯t disappear entirely. What improved was my ability to process them, to accept them without letting them swallow me whole.


    Why had I started going off the deep end in the first place? I didn¡¯t know for certain, but I did have big fat clues staring me in the face. Clues that, overwhelmed by the very emotions pushing me off the deep end, I had been happy enough to overlook.


    My progress to ascension. Knowledgeable demons had noticed it, and none of them seemed too pleased by the development.


    But¡­ why? I feel fine. Better than fine. The demonic mana is amazing.


    Perhaps it was a bit bullheaded of me, but I found it difficult to accept that my ¡®progress¡¯ was the culprit, or that all the souls I had sacrificed in its name were a bad investment. But if I seriously examined my behavior, the results weren¡¯t pretty.


    I didn¡¯t notice any big emotional discrepancies immediately after I stopped feeding souls to the Abyss. But the next day, when we made our disastrous teleport journey? Yeah, things were¡­ off, from the moment I woke up.


    If I was honest, even my choice in the station to push through to fifty percent was suspect. I think I knew then, deep down, that I wasn¡¯t fully in control, but I dismissed it as a temporary side effect of coming in contact with the Abyss.


    What if it wasn¡¯t so temporary, however? What if I would never again be able to trust my own emotions?


    The thought made me sick to my stomach.


    Sure, my mind was a fractured, unstable mess. But it was also the final bastion of my identity, the only space where I could acknowledge my past and think of myself as more than just Hayden, orphan and demonic recruit. Now? I had an outside force-feeding my emotions beyond my ability to handle. It clouded my mind, blurring the lines between the past I tried to cling to and this body¡¯s rightful memories.


    Even with my new sense of control, I felt my heart sinking.


    I let none of this turmoil show on my face. Instead, my expression went full stony, that small smile fixed rigidly on my lips. Maybe the asshole they put in charge of my fate could sense my churning emotions, but I refused to give him the satisfaction of seeing me struggle visibly with them.


    In an attempt to distract myself, I thought back to my interaction with Glaustro. The sergeant had slipped something into my palm, yet to my frustration, I couldn¡¯t risk checking it out yet. At one point, when Mercutio¡¯s attention was stolen by the caf¨¦¡¯s proprietor, I managed to slip the ¡®something¡¯ into one of my belt pouches. That was all I dared to do. At least, if it was some kind of note, it wouldn¡¯t get ruined by my sweat.


    Five hours. That¡¯s how much longer I had to stand there after I improved my core and kicked off the next cycle of mana accumulation. If I weren¡¯t afraid of getting robbed, I would have pulled out mana crystals and started absorbing them. Hell, I really wished my state of mind had allowed me to visit the Absorption Station over the past two days, so I could finally inherit the knowledge of Apprentice Enchantment Theory (Basic) from one of the souls that hadn¡¯t been sacrificed to the Abyss. I could have used all this waiting time to review the inherited memories and make them properly my own.


    Instead, I was stuck obeying the whims of yet another demon commander, one whom I hated without knowing why. At least the emotion seemed to be mutual.


    When the mortal troops started to trickle in during the late afternoon, they did so in pitiful numbers. Twenty, thirty mortals from each troop were all we got, sometimes fewer.


    We even had one single woman of some non-human race. Her skin was the color of earth and riddled with cracks, and I swear I saw magma shining through underneath. Her hair was a mass of crystals that cascaded down her back, chiming with every step. When her eyes swept past me, I realized they were literal gems.


    Beautiful, or eerie? The jury was still out on that one. Still, I knew I would not want to be in her shoes on a world, any world, controlled primarily by humans. My teachers at the training camp taught us that humanity, when allowed major sway over the fate of a world, quickly descended into exploitation of ¡®lesser¡¯ races. I could easily imagine human nobles cooing over rare gems extracted from some poor victim¡¯s face.


    But was the demonic obsession with souls, now my obsession, any better?Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Another thing that shocked me, other than the low numbers of the arrivals, was the absence of any commanding officers. As the last stragglers trickled in through the portal, I had to acknowledge that Glaustro¡¯s public announcement of support for us mortals was a rare thing.


    I found the gesture endearing. No matter how our relationship had started, I owed quite a bit to that demon by now.


    Finally, when half an hour passed with no new arrivals, our commanding officer deigned to make another appearance.


    He strolled out of the caf¨¦ looking fresh and pristine, in direct contrast to our sweaty faces and stiff postures. His blue eyes examined us like we were bugs he found splattered all over the windshield of his fancy new racing car.


    ¡°Barely over a thousand of you? Really, mortals do die like flies. No matter. I did not come here expecting a force worthy to assist me in my task. I expected rabble, and I suppose that¡¯s what I got.¡±


    Mercutio snapped his fingers, and mana spooled away from him. It clung to the air, gradually drawing the outline of an ornate door. In the center of the door was an eye motif, surrounded by depictions of beasts tearing each other apart.


    With another pulse of mana, the door opened. Out marched a small unit of beasts that appeared to be bred for war and nothing else.


    The majority of them, three dozen in total, were wolf-like and taller than any of the gathered mortals. Their fur clanked and bristled as only metal can. Tentacles sprouted from their shoulders and flanks, adorned by thorn-like protrusions and fanged mouths that snapped at the air like they were trying to take a chomp out of the world itself.


    I wanted to be as far from them as possible at all times.


    Behind the wolf monstrosities trotted four smaller beasts, and I could not compare them to any creature I knew. They were quadruped, completely furless, and seemed to be shivering with every step. They didn¡¯t have eyes or ears or any discernible facial features. Point of fact, I couldn¡¯t even differentiate between their fronts and their backs. More than anything, they resembled a quivering ball of flesh attached to four legs, except the legs were all pointing away from the ¡®torso.¡¯


    These creatures didn¡¯t inspire fear like the tentacle-wolves, but they sure had ¡®disgust¡¯ covered.


    The final beast to lumber through the door did so in grand fashion. At first, I thought it was smaller than the wolves, but that was just a trick of the distance. We could watch the beast¡¯s approach from whatever world or hidden dimension it was stored in, and as it got closer, the door swelled outwards. By the time the creature passed through, the door was wide enough for two elephants to walk casually side by side, which was just barely big enough for the beast.


    When it finally set foot in the square, the entire city trembled. I could feel my heart going wild inside of my chest.


    The creature was a massive turtle, shell and flesh both a perfect crystalline black. It resembled a flawless statue come to life, especially since it bore an entire home on its back. The home was a ¡®humble¡¯ two-story affair, but it was tastefully decorated in an understated wealthy manner that screamed the owners were both important and rich.


    Because, of course, our new asshole commander couldn¡¯t travel without his personal retreat.


    ¡°Allow me to be blunt,¡± said the asshole, like he had carefully picked his words until then to avoid offending us. ¡°You are useless. With the increased threat level of this world, you are barely good enough to assault villages and fleeing refugees. Unfortunately, high command refused to see reason and just kill you all.¡±


    He swept his eyes over us like this was a personal failing on our part. Like we should have volunteered to do him a favor and cast ourselves upon our weapons then and there. When none of us did, he sighed and continued talking.


    ¡°I was put in charge by the logistics division of our glorious legion to assess this world and decide if it is worth keeping. Normally, this process takes months. Years, sometimes, if the world is large enough. We are going to have to condense it into weeks because all the anomalies have made high command¡­ nervous.¡±


    His lips twisted into a sneer, like he couldn¡¯t believe demons would find lesser species threatening. I dearly wished he had been the one to get blown away in a trap instead of a decent demon like Bronwynn. The universe would be a nicer place.


    ¡°So, I will leverage what resources I can. Namely, you! It will be your task to clear the path for me and allow me to focus solely on surveying this world. This is an important and exhausting endeavor, so I will tolerate no insubordination or incompetence. We will be marching south immediately, towards one the largest mountain ranges on this world. Then we will travel westwards until we hit the capital of this troublesome kingdom. If important or rare materials are hoarded or hidden somewhere, they will most likely appear in these two locations. You are lucky that someone else was put in charge of surveying this world¡¯s oceans. I would love to see you manage the depths.¡±


    Mercutio¡¯s expression somehow grew more malevolent, if that was even possible. Then his body gently lifted off the ground. Floating upwards, he landed on top of the turtle¡¯s head, where a staircase chiseled into the animal¡¯s shell led directly into the residence.


    ¡°We will begin our march immediately. We will not stop until we encounter one of the villages I was instructed to check, where we will hopefully find some locals still alive. Their memories will be a valuable resource for understanding this world better, and we might even discover some clues about all the trouble this invasion has been encountering.¡±


    The demon obviously doubted this would be the case, but it didn¡¯t matter. We would be following the orders anyway. It wasn¡¯t like any of us had a choice, especially when these orders seemed to be coming from someone much higher up the chain of command than the stuck-up demon.


    Of course, before he deprived us of his uplifting presence, Mercutio had to get one last barb in.


    ¡°Ah, and in case you want to slack off, don¡¯t even try. You¡¯ll be marching ahead of my lovely mobile home here, and if you slow down or try to stop, my beasts will gladly partake in a small snack. I might not be allowed to kill you on sight, but I can kill you for wasting my time and setting the legion behind schedule.¡±


    I sincerely doubted the legion¡¯s timetable was his concern, not after he wasted most of a day on some pitiful attempt at mind-games. He failed to understand a simple truth: every mortal there already knew his whims dictated our lives. Forcing us to stand out in the sun for ages was only going to make us resent him. Or was that the whole point?


    I didn¡¯t know. What I did know was that his attitude and actions only confirmed my mysterious initial reaction to him.


    The hatred may have come out of nowhere, but it was here to stay.

 Chapter 47: Unfriendly Faces

    To my surprise, the village wasn¡¯t that far away. I expected something similar to the marathons Wilhelmina put us through when she took over. Instead, we only marched for about five hours until we spotted our destination.


    Or, rather, the pile of burned wreckage where our destination used to be.


    Whatever Mercutio was hoping to find in the village, he wouldn¡¯t get it. In fact, as we drew closer, I could tell this wasn¡¯t the work of demons. Much like some of the villages I came across under Glaustro¡¯s leadership, this settlement had been abandoned and put to the torch by its own people.


    And then what happened to them? I wondered idly.


    Had they truly escaped the invasion? Or were their souls used to power the wards and traps in the city we left behind?


    We hit a snag at that point, calling my attention away from the smoldering ruins. Mercutio had told us to march until we reached the village. But with the beasts stalking behind us, none of the mortals dared to stop marching, even though we were about to pass the village.


    Then, just as the turtle came in line with the remains of a low palisade wall around the ruins, the demon emerged from his home.


    ¡°What a waste of my time,¡± he groused, immediately dismissing the burned village. ¡°You have my permission to set up camp. Work out guard shifts by yourselves. I don¡¯t care what happens to you, but if some belligerent locals ambush us and rob me of my sleep, I will feed you to my beasts. We will resume our march in ten hours.¡±


    With that lovely parting message, he disappeared back into his house. The turtle suddenly settled itself onto the ground, causing a miniature earthquake. The other beasts drew closer to the behemoth before curling up to sleep. It was like someone had hit their off button, turning the murder machines into snoozing pets.


    That threat was gone, but I had other things to worry about. Since Mercutio refused to get involved, the mortal troops suddenly had no clear chain of leadership.


    And, since we were a bunch of ambitious idiots, that meant conflict.


    Immediately, almost subconsciously, the recruits separated themselves into groups according to our former commanders. Mine was the biggest. Combining the two brothers¡¯ mortal troops, we had over a hundred mortals. We also had the best gear overall, especially the soldiers who served under Graighast.


    For a moment, I allowed myself to hope this would be enough to discourage outright violence. And, as my track record proved, I tended to be an idiot when I let my hope do the thinking for me.


    ¡°Alright,¡± said a gruff, muscular human. He stepped forward from a group of about forty, one of the biggest after mine. ¡°Here¡¯s how it is. I¡¯m not going to put up with some punk trying to tell me what to do, so I¡¯m going to organize you lot into shifts, and we¡¯re all going to get some decent sleep for once.¡±


    ¡°And what, exactly, gives you the right to do that?¡± A woman from one of the smallest groups stepped into the proverbial ring, eyes flinty as her hair drifted around her head in a halo. I immediately noted her non-human features: the feathers that lined her eyes, the tall, pointy ears, and the scales scattered across her forearms. Whatever she was, her blood line clearly granted her some unique advantages because I had no idea how she was doing the hair thing.


    Another voice joined the argument. ¡°Exactly. I¡¯m sure there are plenty of us here who earned trust, loyalty, and strength. You¡¯re no commander of ours, so why should we follow you?¡± A woman stepped forward from another small group. Unless I was sorely mistaken, she was a member of Mia¡¯s species.


    Using her name, even in my internal monologue, made my head jerk around to where I knew she was. Mia had quietly positioned herself behind me when we were ordered to form up at the square, and she had maintained that position ever since.


    I found her staring back at me. When my eyes met hers, she gave me an acknowledging nod of support.


    I fought the urge to smile bitterly. I was just checking to see if you¡¯re alright, not if you¡¯re ready to back me up in some stupid show of dominance!


    Still, her trust in me was touching. I didn¡¯t really deserve it. Not only had she put up with me attacking her when she tried to approach me at the inn, and been supportive throughout our training together, but she had even tried to help me when the trap threw me for a loop.


    I still hadn¡¯t thanked her for that.


    I was so caught up in my own thoughts, and only half paying attention to the argument, that I didn¡¯t have my usual composure to fall back on when the Gruff Boy said something stupid.


    ¡°What gives me the right is my ascension,¡± he proclaimed, like a king addressing his subjects. ¡°I am already twenty percent closer to becoming a demon!¡±


    His declaration was actually met by some awe, especially from the scruffier mortals. A hush fell over the crowd.


    I, on the other hand, burst out laughing.


    Every eye turned on me.


    ¡°What do you find so funny, you bloody idiot?¡± The gruff man took an aggressive step towards me, but that just made me laugh harder. ¡°Well?! Name yourself, you insane coward!¡±


    ¡°Ahhh, sure,¡± I managed to choke out, feeling a whole lot lighter. Hell, I needed a good laugh. I actually felt fondness towards this person for providing me with the opportunity to improve my mood. ¡°Hayden Hall, freshly minted basic level mage, fifty percent into my ascension counter.¡± The man turned pale, and I gave him a jaunty little wave. ¡°Pleasure to meet you.¡±This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Mister Twenty-Percent was silent, trying to process my words and figure out how to respond. I didn¡¯t push him. I was happy enough to stare at him, head tilted slightly to the side. In some way that I couldn¡¯t understand, I was deriving plenty of amusement from his discomfort, but there was just something about his expression that fed a part of me I never knew existed. My emotions wanted more. I felt an urge to needle the man into a confrontation so I could crush him into pieces, and then watch his face twist further¡­


    I clamped down on such thoughts firmly. My mood was far too quick to develop in that direction. The disturbing realization of this helped sober me up.


    ¡°Oh, relax,¡± I said with a smile.


    To my surprise, the man visibly did relax. Was I really so intimidating? The next time I decided to stare at someone for that long, maybe I should remember to blink. Ever since I started training my mana seriously, I was pretty sure I could win any staring contest that didn¡¯t feature a demon, a sun, or the Abyss.


    The man tried to recover. ¡°So I¡¯m guessing you want me to bow to you, then?¡± he demanded. ¡°Is that it? Want me to grovel for offending you or whatever?¡±


    He was not fooling me. Just by staring, I had reduced him to deer-in-the-headlights status. If I wanted to, I could easily make him crumble. But, for better or worse, I wasn¡¯t interested in playing power games with my fellow recruits.


    I shook my head. ¡°No. What I want you to do is get your head out of your ass and look around. He might not care, but our commanding officer is the one in charge. Not me. Definitely not you. So, stop with the pissing contests. If we start fighting right in front of his turtle thing, we are going to get in trouble.¡±


    I let that sink in. The would-be leaders who had stepped forward looked thoughtfully at the turtle. Clearly, they didn¡¯t like my words, but they also couldn¡¯t argue.


    Maybe they weren¡¯t idiots after all.


    ¡°Since we can¡¯t beat each other into submission,¡± I went on, ¡°and we can¡¯t trust each other, how about each of our groups works out something for ourselves? It¡¯s better than posturing and arguing and still not being able to sleep because we think someone might try to shank us. The smallest groups, well¡­ you can choose to join up with someone else, or you can try to make it on your own.¡±


    I shrugged, indicating that I was washing my hands of the whole mess. The self-appointed leaders nodded awkwardly and turned back towards their groups.


    Frankly, I didn¡¯t even trust the mortals on my side. The ones under Graighast? Maybe. They had been welcomed into their troop and shown nothing but care and unity. Glaustro¡¯s mortals, though? I¡¯d be keeping an eye on those just in case. For now, at least, they looked impressed enough not to do something stupid.


    I quickly motioned for Mia to follow me, walking some distance from the other groups so I could start setting up my tent.


    ¡°Do you think we can trust them to stay civil?¡± I whispered as I worked, noting with satisfaction that she was setting up her tent right next to mine.


    ¡°Not really. Not in the long term. Unless our new commander does something, things are eventually going to get bad.¡±


    I hissed out a breath of frustration at her assessment because I agreed with it. Something told me there was no way Mercutio was going to exhibit good leadership skills. Even if he did have them, which would be a minor miracle, he didn¡¯t like us enough to bother.


    ¡°We¡¯re going to have to do something about it, aren¡¯t we?¡±


    Mia didn¡¯t laugh at me, but she did allow herself a small, teasing smile. ¡°I would say so, yes.¡±


    I finished setting up my tent, grumbling about stupid orders and the illogical decision to part commanders from troops that were already used to following their orders. Sure, they were nominally keeping us away from the roughest battlefields, but how much of that was actually the truth and how much of it was an excuse? From personal experience, I knew the demons didn¡¯t care too much about their mortal recruits.


    Maybe they¡¯re not worried about your safety, an insidious part of me whispered. Maybe they just want to keep you away from whatever the locals discovered. After all, imagine what you could do with the kind of magic that damages demons¡­


    I shook my head to dislodge the idea, but it lingered. A curl of greed spread through my thoughts, consuming them with a single question: how I could possibly get my hands on a soul that might possess that kind of knowledge?


    ¡°Want first shift?¡±


    Mia¡¯s voice broke my reverie. I jerked my head up to look at her. She blushed at my confusion, then quickly rushed to explain.


    ¡°I mean, you don¡¯t trust any guards our group might set up either, right? That¡¯s why we moved a bit further away from them? We should organize shifts between the two of us. I think it¡¯s best if we just split our remaining sleep time evenly. It¡¯s kind of pointless to switch out every two hours. We would just keep waking each other up and neither of us would rest properly.¡±


    I smiled, and she relaxed, returning the expression. It was a tiny bit ironic, considering my smile was borne of amusement at her assumption that I trusted her. Then again¡­ against all my better judgment and attempts to separate myself from everyone, I did. She had covered for me at the Apple Infernal, never tried to trick or swindle me during our training together, and then came rushing to my assistance after the teleport.


    Yes, whether I wanted to or not, I was starting to care about Mia.


    ¡°That works,¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯ll take first shift. We probably have¡­ eh, a bit more than nine hours to sleep at this point? I¡¯ll wake you up after six.¡± I raised my hand to silence her protests. ¡°I¡¯m an official mage now. I can keep myself going for a day or two with minimal sleep.¡±


    I wasn¡¯t lying either. Even Clarinette, with her broken core, experienced a significant jump in her quality of life when she advanced to official mage. My baseline physical ability was way higher than hers to begin with, and besides, I didn¡¯t have a massive crack in my core.


    ¡°Well¡­ if you¡¯re sure.¡± Mia didn¡¯t take a lot of convincing, but she still hesitated to slip away into her tent. Instead, she lingered outside, stealing curious glances in my direction.


    I managed to ignore her for all of one minute before I caved.


    ¡°Is something wrong?¡±


    ¡°I was just wondering¡­ you and the new commander. You don¡¯t like each other?¡±


    I let a bitter smile stretch across my lips fully. ¡°No, we don¡¯t.¡±


    And wasn¡¯t that an understatement?


    I knew it wasn¡¯t normal to experience so much anger at the mere sight of someone, especially someone I had never met. There was just something¡­ alien about this demon. Whatever it was, it both unnerved me and triggered some kind of deeply buried hatred, dragging it to the surface.


    ¡°It¡¯s just¡­¡± Mia whispered, then trailed off. She looked worried, like she thought whatever was on the tip of her tongue would upset me.


    ¡°You can say whatever you¡¯re thinking, Mia. I¡¯m not going to be angry,¡± I said.


    ¡°Well¡­¡± She took a deep breath. ¡°You look a lot like him, so I thought you knew him from¡­ before.¡±


    I said nothing. My mind had emptied itself in record time, leaving nothing but disbelief and confusion where my thoughts were supposed to be.


    Mia must have thought she had upset me, because she quickly mumbled an apology and then dove into her tent.


    I sat there for a long time, staring at the spot she had vacated, trying to remember what I looked like.


    I couldn¡¯t.


    Whatever features I had in my previous life were now hazy and indistinct in my memories, but Hayden¡¯s looks had yet to lock themselves in place as my default definition of self. What¡¯s more, the life of a demonic recruit wasn¡¯t exactly full of mirrors.


    Pulling my sword out of its sheath, I carefully angled it to catch my reflection,


    I had to bite back a curse.


    A face annoyingly similar to Mercutio¡¯s stared back at me.

 Chapter 48: Rapport

    There aren¡¯t a whole lot of reasons to hate a man wearing a face nearly identical to my own.


    A long estranged offspring, coming to take their revenge? Or perhaps a badly mistreated sibling, finally ready to face down their childhood bully?


    None of the scenarios I thought of could possibly apply to whatever was going on between me and Mercutio. I wasn¡¯t old enough, for one thing. Besides, I had absolutely no memories of him.


    Then why did I hate him on first sight?


    For that matter, why did he hate me? His hostility, particularly the anger I saw in his eyes when I advanced to basic mage, confirmed that I was missing something about the situation. Worse, I was so caught up in my theorizing that more than half the night slipped by before I remembered Glaustro¡¯s mystery gift.


    Even then, I hesitated. Whatever it was, I wasn¡¯t exactly in the best state to deal with it. My thoughts were starting to get muddled from exhaustion, and my body ached from the day¡¯s events.


    Thankfully, I did have a way to make myself feel better!


    With a genuine smile, I wiggled around into a more comfortable position. Then I let myself sink deep into my mana.


    Directing my attention to my core, I found it merrily spinning away, constantly drawing in ambient mana. If I relied solely on this passive absorption, I would need decades to progress to the next layer. Still, the constant trickle of mana would provide a perpetual boost to both my magical and physical endurance.


    Once I was done admiring my core, I jumped into the process of refining my body using the method Glaustro had permitted us to learn. Wherever my mana went, the rejuvenated flesh was rid of exhaustion, aches and weakness. The subtle pain also did wonders to banish any lingering desire to sleep.


    I couldn¡¯t keep pushing myself using the method forever, but I hadn¡¯t lied to Mia. With my mana operating at this new intensity, I really would be fine in the short term.


    I completed the normal circuit, then hesitated. Thus far, I was always very careful to cover my bones, skin, muscles, and even most of my organs when performing the refinement. But our trainers had explicitly warned us against using the technique on our brains. It was possible, but inadvisable, at least until we had more control over our mana.


    Did advancing to the level of an official mage count as achieving that threshold?


    I did feel that my mana was easier to handle. This more refined version of it was even more responsive than what I was used to. The elevation of my soul¡¯s quality, however minor it may have been, had also increased my control. As such, I strongly suspected that I was capable of enhancing my brain the same way I did the rest of my body.


    Before I could chicken out, I committed fully.


    I gathered mana within my chest, then sent it racing upwards towards my brain, twisting it into the weave specified by the refinement technique.


    Whatever I was expecting, this wasn¡¯t it. Instead of passing out or screaming in agony, I just felt my brain¡­ fizzle, sort of.


    And then my perception of reality shifted.


    Colors took on unusual hues, and I could taste them on my tongue. Sound transformed into the mad, incomprehensible chanting of eldritch entities, and the scent of their words made me simultaneously sick and giddy. Smell rang out, spilling all its secrets to me in loving whispers while it brushed against my skin.


    I fought to maintain control over the technique and just barely succeeded, only because I knew it would destroy my brain if I let it run rampant. Thankfully, my mana perception didn¡¯t waver or change during the whole procedure. It was the one point of familiarity in a world rapidly descending into a slurry of chaos.


    When it was all over, I spent a long few seconds trying to calm my breathing. I nodded once to celebrate my success.


    Then I bent over so I could lose my last meal all over the grass.


    There wasn¡¯t much there, just some dry travel rations and a lot of bile, but the smell and lingering taste made my lips curl in disgust. I quickly fetched my water skin and washed the taste out, but there wasn¡¯t much I could do about the steaming puddle of puke unless I wanted to wake Mia and relocate our setup, which would be embarrassing.


    At least the attempt wasn¡¯t a total wash. It was a minor improvement, but I could definitely feel it. My thoughts flowed more readily, and when I tried to remember something, it came to me just a touch faster than it used to.


    My smile was a thing of pure bitterness. After all, the fact that it worked also meant I had no excuse to avoid doing it again and again until the returns weren¡¯t worth it anymore, which probably wouldn¡¯t happen for a very long time. Potentially never, if I continued to advance steadily in my mana quality and capacity.


    But with that done, and my mind strongly refreshed, I could finally sate my curiosity. One last look around confirmed there was no one nearby or watching.


    So, carefully, I extracted the ¡®something¡¯ Glaustro had slipped me.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    At first glance, I was disappointed. It was a folded piece of parchment, just large enough to fit into my palm. It bulged slightly, so I quickly set about unfolding it to reveal a letter wrapped around a small item. The item slipped away from me, making me curse as I hunted for it in the grass.


    When I found it and snatched it up, I was looking at a small, coin-like amulet. On one side, the demonic rune for ¡®1¡¯ glistened. On the other, the sneering visage of some demon stared back at me, looking distinctly unimpressed.


    I clutched the amulet, then let my eyes drift back over to the letter.


    I was just about to start reading when I froze. It wasn¡¯t because I heard a suspicious sound or caught sight of an intruder lurking at the edge of our camp. No, the sudden jolt of shock came from the fact that I could see.


    There was not a single fire still burning inside the camp. We were hours away from dawn¡¯s gentle caress, and the moon was a mere sliver overhead. The stars, while numerous and very pretty, weren¡¯t particularly bright either.


    In other words, I should have been blind as a bat.


    Instead, I could casually pick out details in my surroundings, like I was standing in bright sunlight. Come to think of it, I hadn¡¯t even noticed when night fell, not really. I was vaguely aware of the cloying darkness, but seeing as it didn¡¯t bother me, I had been content to ignore it. Now, that became impossible.


    Fumbling for my sword, I drew it to use as a makeshift mirror for the second time that day. When I caught sight of my eyes, my breath stuck in my throat.


    They gleamed, reflecting the light of the stars like eerie twin mirrors. I had the eyes of a cat, spooky eyes that would easily haunt a person''s nightmares if caught on film with a flash.


    But¡­ why?


    It was my first time messing around with my brain, sure, but it definitely wasn¡¯t the first time I messed with my eyes. The refinement technique had a whole section on handling those, and while it was painful and unpleasant and left me temporarily blind, the process shouldn¡¯t have yielded such an odd result. The only effects it claimed were better visual acuity and correction of lost eyesight. Creepy reflective eyes that gave night vision were so not on the list.


    Oh, I wasn¡¯t complaining! Night vision was an amazing advantage to have. The light refraction effect was also intimidating, which could be a boon if I had to fight in the dark and wanted my enemies off-balance. What I didn¡¯t like was my lack of control. I didn¡¯t choose to give myself cool cat eyes, so the change felt at least partly unwelcome.


    I can spiral later. For now, focus.


    With one last deep breath, I managed to corral my attention back to the parchment.


    Hayden,


    I hope this letter makes it to you without any difficulties. I try to be subtle, but it was never my strong suit, and I have often paid for it.


    If you did manage to avoid the notice of your new commanding officer, who is an asshole of supreme order, by the way, I have a few words of caution for you.


    First, be careful of how you handle your emotions. You pushed your ascension too far, too quickly, and that has consequences. Most of the changes you¡¯ll experience will be beneficial, but this is the one you need to be particularly careful of.


    If you fail to reign in your feelings, they can and will ruin you.


    You can also expect various changes to happen to you over the next few days, or even weeks. Introducing so much demonic mana to your body always requires an adjustment period, but this is doubly true for the jump you made.


    I can¡¯t predict what is going to happen to you. Every demon is unique, including the naturally born kind. What demonic traits you¡¯ll start to exhibit and how visible they will be is entirely dependent on your physiology, consciousness, and soul, and their interaction with the Abyss.


    What I can warn you of is this: the effects of this process will be more exaggerated in you than they would be in a regular recruit. You chose to start training in mana accumulation, which is a good thing, but it also means you have more demonic mana in your body than most, and of unusually high quality.


    But I believe you will conquer this challenge. So long as you don¡¯t give up, you will join us one day as a proud demon yourself.


    Finally, keep a close eye on your new commanding officer <s>(if you can, keep referring to him that way, it will annoy the fuck out of him)</s>. The man is supremely unpleasant, but he is also deceptively powerful. His father was a very high-ranking officer in the logistics division when this invasion started, and I¡¯ve heard rumors that he has taken full control of that division by now.


    This makes his son nearly untouchable within the legion so long as you don¡¯t have a legitimate and serious accusation to level against him. If he decided to murder recruits en masse, it might be enough for him to lose his standing, but at this point, I doubt it. The general himself would have to get involved for this asshole to suffer repercussions.


    More importantly, he asked me about you, by name. He deflected any questions about why and mentioned hearing about you in reports, but those reports were never supposed to reach the logistics division. Even if they did, no demon would ordinarily choose to dig into information on a mortal.


    Be careful.


    I¡¯ve included an amulet with this letter. It is a minor object of power, and as such should pass undetected by your new commanding officer. It will protect you from a lethal spell, but only once. Consider this my thanks for the timely warning you gave us.


    Best wishes,


    Your Commander


    In spite of all the subtle and outright warnings listed in the letter, I smiled. When Glaustro took over, I never once thought that I would build such rapport with the grumpy demon. Get close to wanting to kill him? Sure. Miss him enough to consider offing my current commander? Definitely not.


    This gave me an odd sense of hope that I might be able to do something about one of my current problems. The mortals that made up Mercutio¡¯s freshly formed army were a scattered bunch, out for themselves and only themselves. Some of them had allies they might be willing to risk life and limb for, but I knew that would be a rarity.


    The situation, as it currently stood, gave Mercutio even more power over us than he would normally have. If he put in a minimal amount of effort, he could whip us into a frenzy and then watch as we tore each other apart.


    I had to find a way to fix that. After all, if I could get a demonic sergeant to like me, surely I could get a bunch of mortals to listen to a couple smart suggestions, right?


    Just asking myself that question gave me a headache.


    Somehow, I had a strong feeling that the mortals surrounding me did not have the same good sense and self-preservation instincts that Glaustro could boast of.


    Of course, above and beyond all my other problems loomed Mercutio himself. I refused to think more deeply about the potential link between us. Whenever I did, I instantly felt that same rage ignite again somewhere deep in my soul. If I gave into it, I just knew that I would try to rush the man with my sword.


    I already had enough problems in my life without committing involuntary suicide.


    Sighing, I tucked the amulet safely into my pocket. Then I sat between my tent and Mia¡¯s, looking around through the darkness with my new reflective cat eyes.


    Really, all I wanted was to ride out the rest of the invasion and get a couple more souls. When did things get this complicated?

 Chapter 49: The Inner Kingdom

    I burned the letter shortly after reading it for the seventh time in a row. I didn¡¯t need to keep it. I had it memorized perfectly after the first two reads. Even so, doing away with it left me with a bitter taste in my mouth that no amount of rinsing would get rid of.


    It occurred to me then that I might have an unhealthy obsession with gifts. I was also stubbornly hanging onto the salve Bronwynn had left with me when he tended to my arms. Sure, it was useful, but did I really need to check on it three or four times whenever I left another city, making sure it was still there? Probably not.


    I didn¡¯t wake up Mia.


    She had looked about ready to collapse when she squirmed into her tent for the night, and I was willing to bet she would need all the energy she could get to deal with Mercutio.


    It was also a gesture of apology. I didn¡¯t necessarily regret my decision to keep everyone at arm¡¯s length, but I had to acknowledge that I alienated the few people who were inclined to treat me well.


    Honestly, I was also growing fond of the woman. Having someone to watch your back was always nice, but that held doubly true when you were stuck in a demonic army where most of the other mortals would like nothing better than to shank you.


    I let her sleep. I sat in the darkness. I tried not to think about how much I hated Mercutio. I worried about what the day might bring.


    When the sun finally came up, I was squirming in place. Turns out, you can only spend so much time agonizing over your future before you get bored.


    Judging the time without a watch or similar device was tricky, but I relied on my surprisingly accurate feeling for the time of day to gauge when to take a step closer to Mia¡¯s tent.


    ¡°Mia?¡± I inched closer to her tent, keeping my voice just above a whisper. ¡°I don¡¯t want to go in there to wake you.¡±


    There was a confused mrrrrrow from inside, and then the tent started shaking slightly. To my amusement, the woman grumbled more than a few expletives before I heard her start moving. Untying the tent flap from the inside, she pushed it open and sent me a bleary, half-awake glare.


    ¡°Wuuh?¡± she asked, intelligently.


    Then she squinted past me and saw the first rays of dawn breaking over the horizon. That jolted her into wakefulness.


    ¡°What time is it?¡± She sat up, glaring at me for real. ¡°How long did you let me sleep?¡±


    ¡°If I have it right, it¡¯s about an hour before Mercutio orders us to continue marching,¡± I admitted, hiding a smile at the disheveled state of my one remaining ally.


    She had slept in her armor, but with how ill-fitting it was, it had all shifted around into positions that couldn¡¯t possibly be comfortable. Her hair was a puffy disaster, and there were a few tufts of fur on her ears that stuck out adorably.


    All in all, she was a mess, and looked incredibly cute that way.


    She must have noticed the way I was looking at her because she flushed and retreated into the tent, pulling the flap down. I heard the sounds of cloth shuffling and a few muttered complaints.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you wake me up? You stayed up the whole night, didn¡¯t you? What are you going to do when you get exhausted later? We don¡¯t know when he¡¯ll let us stop. He could be like Wilhelmina.¡±


    I scoffed, then winced. I sincerely hoped the sound came across as amused rather than dismissive.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anyone quite like Wilhelmina. I swear, that woman was trying to kill us. Who makes fresh recruits push like that?¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t answer my question,¡± Mia insisted as she finally reemerged from her tent, armor and hair in perfect order this time. Frankly, while I was way ahead of her as a mage, that was some real magic right there.


    Somehow, she had even managed to clean up her armor. Gear-wise, she looked fresh and ready to start. I, on the other hand, looked exactly like a soldier who had marched for hours after standing in the sun for an unreasonable amount of time.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Mage, remember? I can refresh myself using mana, and while I can¡¯t keep doing it indefinitely, I¡¯ll be fine for now. I¡¯ll get some sleep the next time we stop.¡±


    Mia didn¡¯t look happy about it, but she nodded. And whether or not she wanted to admit it, the sleep had clearly done her good. Rather than stumbling around like she was about to pass out on her feet, she was back to moving with feline grace.


    I had woken her up so we could eat. I pulled out some basic ration bars, but instead of following suit, Mia practically pried the bars out of my hand. She continued to glare at me as she extracted a pot, a water skin, and an odd circular crystal base out of her pack.


    I watched, confused, as she fetched a few nearby rocks and arranged them into a small circle. Then she carefully positioned the thin base on top of the rocks, placing a finger on a protrusion at the base¡¯s edge I hadn¡¯t noticed before. I caught a brief flow of mana between her and the device, and then the base started heating up rapidly. Up close, I could just about catch the lines of a basic mana matrix on the device¡¯s surface before Mia placed the pot on top.


    ¡°Please don¡¯t tell me you¡¯ve been eating those this whole time?¡± she demanded. Taking out several small pouches of powders, she began shaking their contents into the pot of water, which was already boiling somehow.


    ¡°Yes? I mean, they¡¯re not that bad,¡± I tried.


    She shot me a skeptical look, and I blushed. Okay, so the bars were dry and thick and tasteless. And maybe I had to use my body strengthening technique to chew them. But they did what they were supposed to! They kept me on my feet and even strangely sated for a long time. Even though they were supposed to last me only a month, I still had the majority of my initial supply.Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.


    ¡°Not that bad, he says,¡± the woman grit through clenched teeth as her tail lashed left and right angrily behind her back. ¡°Do you know that I almost chipped my tooth when I tried to eat those?¡±


    Her hands didn¡¯t stop moving for a second as she grumbled. The powders must have been spices because the boiling water took on a pleasant aroma and just a hint of color after she tossed them in. Then she dipped into her pack again and withdrew a pouch of what, I assumed, were seeds. She grabbed a generous handful and threw them into the pot. Immediately, the ¡®seeds¡¯ started to swell. I watched in fascination as they ballooned quickly into something resembling dumplings.


    Or are they ¡®dough boys¡¯ when they¡¯re served in a soup?


    I couldn¡¯t remember. I was never partial to soups, preferring meals with at least some properly cooked meat in them. But in this moment, my growling stomach didn¡¯t seem to care.


    Funny, that. Since I found myself in this new reality, I never once turned up my nose at food, no matter how atrocious it was. Then again, compared to the slop they served us at the training camp, practically anything was edible. My taste buds had lost their ability to differentiate between good and bad food.


    To round off her meal prep, Mia carefully extracted a can from her pack. Portioning out a small handful of flakes from the can, she sprinkled them into the pot with surprising reverence. I could understand why when the flakes dissolving instantly into the soup and a tantalizing scent wafted upwards from the pot.


    Mia nodded once in satisfaction. Digging deeper into her pack one more time, she brought out two bowls, spoons, and a ladle.


    ¡°How do you have all of this stuff? And where did you even get that heating artifact?¡±


    I asked the questions, but most of my attention was on the soup as she ladled it first into my bowl and then into her own. There was enough in the pot for about four servings. I knew after the first sip that we would be demolishing all of it.


    My visible delight at her cooking drew a smug smile from the cat lady, and she nodded imperiously. ¡°I have ¡®all this stuff¡¯ because not all of us are content to live like savages on the road. And that heating plate was expensive, but worth every soul. I picked it up from one of the enchanters in that city where Wilhelmina got replaced. I wasn¡¯t going to endure another march on ration bars only.¡±


    She shuddered, and I shrugged. Really, those things weren¡¯t all that bad.


    ¡°Well, thanks for this. I¡¯ll find a way to pay you back. I have no idea what all you used, but it¡¯s delicious.¡±


    I meant every word. The dough boys were wonderfully fluffy and filling, and they tasted a bit like meat dumplings. We did, in fact, finish off the whole pot, and I had to resist the urge to lick my bowl.


    After we finished, we packed up our tents and got ready to leave. It was when Mia was gingerly wrapping her heating plate in a flame retardant cloth that our day took a turn for the worse.


    My brand burned like it never had before. Mia almost doubled over with her eyes spread wide, so I knew I wasn¡¯t alone in my suffering.


    I brushed my fingers across the brand, but I only got a single word in response.


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    I wasn¡¯t sure how he managed to make a vague sentiment come out in all caps, but Mercutio pulled it off. I hated that man a little more every day.


    With everything already packed, Mia and I were able to head straight for the turtle, our hands burning relentlessly. Some of the recruits we passed on our way to the turtle weren¡¯t as lucky. I saw many of them trying to disassemble tents and shove them into their packs with trembling fingers, faces flushed from the pain they were struggling to ignore.


    I was more than ready for the torture to fade myself when I finally arrived at our destination. Mercutio¡¯s pets were alert and standing in a loose formation, even if there was no sign of the demon himself yet.


    But the pain didn¡¯t stop.


    It didn¡¯t stop when we arrived, and it didn¡¯t stop when we lined up with the few recruits who had reacted as quickly as we did. It didn¡¯t stop when more people flooded in. It didn¡¯t stop even when every last soldier was standing by the turtle, shoulder to shoulder in orderly lines, waiting for our commander to show up.


    At least I wasn¡¯t the only one suffering. If everyone else¡¯s brands stopped burning, I would know he was singling me out.


    It wasn¡¯t until Mercutio finally emerged from his mobile home that the pain ceased. He folded his arms casually, smirking at our collective sigh of relief.


    ¡°In the future, I expect you to react more promptly,¡± the demon drawled, like we hadn¡¯t been waiting for him for at least ten minutes. ¡°Now, you may resume your march. I understand that uneducated fools like yourselves might not be able to gauge the right direction, so¡­ south is that way.¡±


    He gestured in the direction I already knew was south, then sauntered back into his home as his turtle monster slowly rumbled to its feet and took the first step forward. We scrambled to obey, his warning from the day before about loitering in front of his monsters still fresh in our minds.


    Step by step, we marched southwards towards the mountain range. Glarind¡¯s Spine, if I was understanding Clarinette¡¯s memories correctly. Thanks to Clarinette, I knew vaguely that these mountains weren¡¯t exactly in the center of the kingdom, but still in its inner depths. I also knew the mountain range was an important source of magical materials. Clarinette often wished she had something from there to help her with mana accumulation. In fact, the mountain range had become a bit of an obsession for the young mage. If a material existed on Berlis that could cure her, it would be located in these mountains.


    Her feelings influenced me, and I couldn¡¯t deny the glimmer of anticipation that took root in my mind as we marched.


    About six hours into our march, though, something happened to dim that anticipation. One second, we were marching as normal. The next, I saw people ahead of me start to stagger. They found their footing again quickly enough, but I barely had time to wonder what was wrong before I experienced it myself.


    It felt like walking through a wall of water. The mana, because it had to be mana, was cold and unpleasant. It clung to me, trying to seep into my skin and clothing. I tried to dispel it with my own mana, but it hung on grimly. I felt a visceral hatred from the mystical substance. Clearly, it resented me for daring to pass the boundary it was trying to maintain.


    We continued marching, of course. No one dared to stop with Mercutio at their back. I did dare to peek around, watching eagerly for his reaction when his turn came.


    As soon as the turtle passed the invisible line, the demon burst through his home¡¯s front doors with a roar. The sound was accompanied by a wave of his mana that washed over us all. The foreign mana still clinging to us vanished when the red wave hit, evaporating like snow in the middle of summer.


    The demon¡¯s gaze swept angrily over the horizon, then settled on us with a scowl.


    ¡°We pass through a ward of this size and scope and you fail to warn me in advance? What good are you?¡±


    The demon didn¡¯t seem to expect an answer as he stalked around the side of his house, glaring back at the ward we were rapidly leaving behind.


    It was a good thing he didn¡¯t expect us to contribute because we all kept mum.


    ¡°Well, no matter,¡± he hissed. ¡°It seems like it was meant to bar entry to the inner reaches of the kingdom. Someone has already weakened it severely. It has solid anchors and a minor regeneration rate, but these factors can only slow its destruction. It will fall, along with the rest of this pathetic world.¡±


    He looked at us like he expected a round of applause for this proclamation. When he didn¡¯t get one, he snorted and retreated into his home once more.


    His explanation had more implications to work through. If the locals were truly capable of casting such a wide-reaching and powerful ward, it made sense that demonic high command was taking them a lot more seriously.


    And I was suddenly a lot less confident that we would face no real resistance at our destination.

 Chapter 50: Ruin Cities

    The first two days of marching went okay. Not great, but okay. Mercutio seemed satisfied with being a minor tyrant who could dictate when and where we rested, and he didn¡¯t push us needlessly past the point of exhaustion.


    Oh, we still spent an unreasonable amount of time on our feet. He gave us no real breaks for food and other, less pleasant bodily needs. But we were fine.


    As we marched, I cycled mana through both the strengthening and refining technique to keep myself relatively fresh. I walked Mia through the process on our first full day so she could do the same. While she wasn¡¯t quite on my level, she was making great progress. At the very least, she was less worn-out and cranky at the end of the day. She also shared more of her delicious cooking with me in return, which was nice.


    I should have known life would not remain so simple, nor so easy. In fact, on the morning of only the third day, things started going sideways.


    As with the first two mornings, we rushed to assemble and then waited in agony. As usual, Mercutio took his sweet time to show up and turn off our damn brands-turned-torture devices. He strolled out of his home in a leisurely fashion, staring us down like we were mere dirt beneath his boots. After two days of marching without being afforded the chance to clean up, because the ass apparently didn¡¯t feel the need to let us stop for the day next to a river or some other water source, we were actually living up to his impression of us.


    But this morning was different. This time, he didn¡¯t just dismiss us and then ignore us until it was time to stop again.


    ¡°Hrm, I suppose we have been making¡­ acceptable time, so far,¡± declared the demon. Then his smirk turned predatory. ¡°However, a true test of your usefulness is coming up! We will soon encounter the first of the cities between us and our objective.¡±


    I wasn¡¯t necessarily against that. In fact, I welcomed a chance to earn some souls. However, my eyes narrowed a fraction when I remembered his words to us on that first day.


    When he gave us our orders, Mercutio hadn¡¯t said anything about cities. We were only expected to pass through a village he was instructed to check out. The next destination he had named was the Glarind¡¯s Spine mountain range, and then we were to turn our sights on the capital.


    Mercutio, kind and benevolent demon that he was, assuaged my doubts.


    ¡°The original plan did not call for us to make any stops before our destination. However, in my generosity, I have steered our course so that you might have this opportunity. You will be relieved to know that we should arrive at the nearest city by nightfall. Rejoice, mortals, for you will soon be useful! Now, your directions for the day¡­¡±


    Why?


    The question thrummed in my head as unease twisted my stomach. Why would he feel the need to ¡®provide us with an opportunity¡¯ like this? More importantly, wasn¡¯t the threat level of all cities sharply increased? What if the city had a spatial shield? We had zero chance of even putting a scratch in that kind of barrier.


    Mercutio, too, couldn¡¯t achieve anything against such defenses. For all his grandstanding and self-importance, he never tried anything against Glaustro, even when the sergeant openly insulted him. The stuck-up idiot didn¡¯t seem to possess the kind of wisdom I usually associated with such restraint, so I could only assume he had to stay calm for fear of being humiliated.


    Mind spinning, I kept my gaze trained on Mercutio. So when he briefly turned in my direction, I had a great view of the malice and glee shining in his stormy eyes.


    The bad feeling in my gut intensified.


    When we broke into a march, I took my now customary spot next to Mia. Today, though, I drifted a little closer than usual, just near enough so she could hear me whisper without breaking formation.


    ¡°We need to be careful. He has some kind of plan for this city, I know it. Whatever trick he¡¯s got in mind, if we give him a chance to pull it off, we might not walk away.¡±


    Mia grimaced, but nodded. ¡°I don¡¯t have a great feeling about this, either. When he looks at me¡­ I feel¡­¡±


    The woman shuddered, and my dislike of Mercutio deepened.


    There wasn¡¯t much else we could say or plan at the moment, so we resumed our march in silence. But I had plenty of time to study the other recruits around us, and I didn¡¯t like what I saw.


    They were all tense. Many had deep circles under their eyes. Several others would flinch away if it looked like someone was even thinking about drawing too close to them.


    More troubling still, some of the finer equipment from Graighast¡¯s troop had changed hands. I was pretty dang sure Mister Twenty Percent Ascension did not have armor that fine when we started, for example. And that fluffy roll on his back looked oddly similar to the floor carpet Graighast¡¯s soldiers used in their tents.


    I can¡¯t say I was surprised at how quickly we had turned against each other. If it weren¡¯t for the fact that I could go without sleep longer than most, and that I actually trusted Mia, I would have been as miserable as most of the others.


    Still, even if I expected it, I hated it. This wretched state of ours played right into Mercutio¡¯s hands. Most of us were exhausted and desperate, and now he was presenting an ¡®opportunity¡¯ for us to please him. Would he reward those who did well? Could they expect protection and better living conditions?


    It seemed obvious to me that he was priming the recruits so he could twist them to his will. Then again, maybe that was just my paranoia talking. Listening to my fears had already driven me to do some stupid things. Like attacking Mia in the middle of a demon-owned hotel.


    So, while it irked me to do it, I forced myself to put my suspicions aside and focus my attention more productively. I cycled my mana through the strengthening technique, then the refining technique. I tried to ignore the simmering unrest in the troops around me. I kept my eyes trained forward.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.


    The terrain became increasingly difficult to navigate safely. Hills rose up on either side, obstructing the view and threatening minor landslides as our boots pounded recklessly along. Regardless of Mercutio¡¯s claim, I didn¡¯t expect to reach our destination until well after nightfall.


    But, true to Mercutio¡¯s words, the sun was just starting to tilt beyond the horizon when we spotted the city.


    In the distance, a hill rose sharply above the surrounding landscape, then evened out into a plateau. It looked like a mountain had once stood there, before some giant cut it off at the base and then carted it off to who knows where.


    The city was a gleaming crown atop the plateau. Its marble shone in the sunset. I imagined it was once an imposing sight, striking fear into any foes, ready to stand as a bulwark of the kingdom.


    I imaged all that, because it was definitely no longer true.


    The city¡¯s appearance went beyond ¡®damaged.¡¯ The shining walls were stained with soot. Gaping holes were all that remained of the many guard towers. Beyond, even from where we stood, I could glimpse crumbling houses and other signs of bombardment.


    Even from where we stood¡­


    How is that possible?


    I squinted at the city, then looked away, casting my gaze around the landscape.


    Yep. That¡¯s odd.


    I could definitely see much further and more clearly than ever before. Yet another involuntary bodily change¡­ but I couldn¡¯t feel dismayed, because they were all so useful. Thus far, I had night vision, what I assumed was generally increased bodily toughness, a weird thing going on with my tongue, and the ability to ignore levels of heat that would scald a normal mortal.


    Mia had helped me discover that last one. After watching me gulp down boiling hot soup three times in a row, she suggested we do some testing. I wasn¡¯t fireproof, by any means. But if some locals tried medieval defense tactics and poured boiling oil down the city walls, I would be just fine.


    None of my changes were really obvious yet. Sure, my eyes shone in the dark. My tongue was¡­ well, I didn¡¯t like talking about my tongue. But otherwise, I was as human as the day I made the dumb decision to put a ton of souls into my ascension all at once.


    Which was to say, questionably human. At best.


    All these musings were important, but I couldn¡¯t deny I was using them primarily as a distraction from my mounting anxiety. We were drawing closer and closer to the city, and our commanding officer had not stirred from his hole. Were we supposed to storm the walls? Make camp outside? Or just pass by and keep marching? It didn¡¯t seem like there was much left to conquer.


    Then, about forty minutes out, I was shocked to see figures start to emerge on the walls. The soldiers were very obviously human, and they were scrambling badly. Not a single one of them stood confidently or held their weapon like they knew what they were doing. One figure, an older woman, went from one figure to the next, screaming her head off as she tried to whip them into shape.


    It wasn¡¯t working.


    As we hesitated between speeding up and slowing down, the door to Mercutio¡¯s mobile home slammed open loudly behind us.


    ¡°What are you waiting for, you idiots? Charge! I want them all wiped out! Leave no one alive!¡± the demon shouted at the top of his lungs. He must have used some sort of mana technique on his voice because it echoed loudly enough for the defenders to hear him, too.


    The effect was devastating.


    The line of archers that had just barely formed broke. Most of them scattered, vanishing from the wall. The older woman turned in our direction and glared balefully, but it was all she could do.


    I took a deep breath, then I obeyed my superior officer.


    Body strengthening flared through me more powerfully than ever before. Soon, I was moving way too fast for anyone, even Mia, to attempt to keep pace. It should have taken me another half an hour to cover the remaining distance. I made it in under six minutes.


    Then I was shooting past the damaged wall as a few scattered arrows missed me by a mile. I spun on my heel, forcing my footwear to produce an unpleasant squealing sound. Immediately, my eyes landed on the stairs that would take me to the top of the wall, as well as a couple of soldiers fleeing down those stairs.


    I moved faster than they could react.


    My sword flashed out, aiming directly at the gap between the soldier¡¯s helmet and the rest of his body. Blood splashed out as his head went flying, but I was already far from the spray and on top of his friend. With an effortless jump, I landed feet first on the other man¡¯s kneecaps. It was a tricky maneuver, and I almost lost my balance, but I was rewarded with a loud crunch as his legs bent in a way they shouldn¡¯t.


    He also screamed, but I cut that off by burying my sword in his forehead.


    I rode his body to the ground, wincing a little at the way my sword screeched against his helmet. Then I was moving again, racing up the stairs.


    The top of the wall was the definition of chaos. The older woman, I guess the commander, was yelling orders. Some of the soldiers were scrambling away from my approach. About seven archers were trying doggedly to fire at my approaching allies. But since their limbs were trembling in terror, and their own allies were shoving each other around in a panic, it was difficult to keep up a steady volley.


    I shrugged and waded into the fray.


    I wish I could say they put up a good fight, or any fight at all. They didn¡¯t. With all the advantages I now had against a baseline human, I scythed through them in very little time.


    Slash here, slash there, and suddenly, I had seventeen corpses at my feet. The commander stood before me, a bit shorter than she was supposed to be.


    Probably because I had just cut her legs off at the knee.


    ¡°What happened here?¡± I asked calmly, then sighed as she tried to crawl over to her sword. Kicking the weapon away from her grasping hands, I pushed her onto her back and planted my foot on her chest. ¡°I¡¯ll ask again: what happened?¡±


    Strictly speaking, I didn¡¯t need to hear it from her own mouth. I could dig the info out of her soul if I chose to inherit one of her skills. But powering the absorption process would be a waste of good souls, and besides, I didn¡¯t particularly feel like wading through her memories.


    ¡°Kill me already, you scum,¡± the woman hissed. ¡°I would rather die than speak to a traitor!¡±


    ¡°Traitor?¡± I was genuinely confused. ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°You are human, like we are. Yet you have sold your soul to these devils!¡±


    The venom in her voice took me aback, but then I couldn¡¯t stop myself from erupting into laughter. The affronted look on her face only made me laugh harder.


    ¡°Sorry, sorry. But no, nothing like you. I¡¯ve already¡­ well, doesn¡¯t matter. I¡¯m not even from your world! Completely different conquered plane, I¡¯m afraid.¡± I pressed my blade against her throat. ¡°Now, you can tell me what I want to know, or I can rip the answers out of your soul. Your choice.¡±


    Of course, no information would spare her soul from being harvested and consumed. I wisely chose not to voice that, though.


    The woman hesitated, disgust and fear warring on her face. As the sound of my fellow recruits rushing past the wall reached us, fear won out.


    ¡°Our defenses exploded, all at once. We were feeding the rituals as commanded! They were supposed to support the barrier that would keep you monsters out of our inner kingdom. They were supposed to keep a barrier over our city! We sacrificed so many people, and yet¡­!¡±


    She gritted her teeth together, tears sliding down her cheeks.


    I frowned, confused. Then understanding hit me. That barrier we had passed through on our first full day was meant to cover the entire inner kingdom. Whatever the demons had done to destroy that barrier must have caused a backlash of epic proportions on all its anchors. And if that was true, most of the kingdom¡¯s remaining cities were little more than ruins waiting to be picked over.


    Having lost all interest in the conversation, I simply said, ¡°Thank you for making things a bit easier for me.¡± Then I brought my sword down again. The woman died, and my soul purse grew a little heavier.


    That¡¯s when I heard footsteps behind me.


    ¡°All done here. ¡®Fraid there¡¯s no more souls to claim,¡± I said, distracted as I bent down to clean my sword against a dead archer¡¯s tunic.


    The other person didn¡¯t answer, which gave me pause. I started to turn towards them.


    That is the only thing that saved me from losing my head immediately.


    I managed to jerk slightly aside, but even so, I felt blood suddenly bubble in my mouth as a sword bit deep into my neck.

 Chapter 51: Approach

    I was rather proud of myself when I didn¡¯t immediately lose my marbles after eating a solid inch of steel to the throat. If anything, I felt remarkably calm. Calm enough to immediately direct as much of my mana towards the wound as I could manage.


    It was a dangerous amount of mana, especially when used to feed the refinement technique, yet that¡¯s exactly what I did. The burning started immediately. I could swear I saw a soft blue glow erupt between my fingers where they clutched my neck.


    I didn¡¯t have time for the pain or the light show, however. My attention was captured wholly by the man in front of me.


    I didn¡¯t recognize him. Whoever he was, his face looked crazed. A grin stretched his lips in unnatural ways that almost made them crack. I could detect nothing but glee in his eyes. He was dressed in dirty leathers and held his sword loosely at his side. It was a casual stance, like something a complete beginner might show.


    It was all the more surprising when he moved with a speed that almost matched my own.


    I barely managed to put up my sword before the clash of steel on steel rang out inches away from my face. Still, I wasn¡¯t in the best position to fight. I couldn¡¯t get a proper breath in through my sliced-open throat. My poor footing, half-squatting as I was, made me stagger.


    I landed on my back, and my oddly fast attacker was on me instantly. Then his inexperience in melee revealed itself. Instead of hamstringing my legs, he went for my face again. This allowed me to land a solid hit against his chest when he overextended.


    Whatever hidden powers he might possess, the man wasn¡¯t durable. The cracking of bones rang out as my inhuman strength launched him against the palisade. I couldn¡¯t help but wince, despite the fact that his broken spine was my handiwork.


    I tried to suck down more air, but just like my last few attempts, I only got a tiny bit of oxygen, along with plenty of blood gurgling down paths it wasn¡¯t supposed to go. My flesh felt feverish. Mana was almost cooking it as it flowed through my body, working overtime to support the refinement.


    Problem was, refinement didn¡¯t translate directly into healing. While that could happen as a side effect, you needed truly immense amounts of mana to make it work. I was funneling as much mana as I could, but the amount I could control at any one time was still limited.


    This wasn¡¯t like the reckless draining of a mana crystal, when all the mana came gushing out in a tidal wave I could barely control, healing my ribs as a result¡­


    I tried to sigh and gurgled instead.


    I promised myself I wouldn¡¯t do that again without a good cause.


    Blood was still streaming from my throat. The lack of air was starting to make me lightheaded.


    I didn¡¯t have time to think up a better solution.


    This certainly qualifies as a ¡®good cause,¡¯ I thought grimly as I fumbled for my pack in search of a mana crystal. But before I could even cast my pack off my shoulders, a bizarre sight froze me in place.


    The enemy I thought I had downed, the same man whose spine cracked when I threw him against the palisade, was twisting upright before my very eyes.


    His movements were not natural. His limbs moved smoothly enough, but his torso was like something out of a horror movie. He thrust his arms up, gripped the edge of the palisade that had broken him, and heaved. His legs scrambled and finally found purchase, allowing him to lever himself upright. Still, the tilt of his upper body heavily favored his left side, and the step he took towards me made his entire torso jerk backwards. It almost destabilized him enough to make him fall again.


    Almost, but not quite.


    I abandoned my attempt to get at the mana crystals, scrambling to my feet as quickly as I could. Moving only made blood seep out of my wound more aggressively, and my face was slowly turning blue from lack of oxygen. Ignoring that, I managed to find my footing and took a defensive stance.


    The man laughed. It was a horrible, gurgling sound that spoke of ruined lungs, a thought further reinforced when blood bubbled up between his own lips in response.


    And yet, for a moment, I recognized his expression.


    As unnatural as it looked on the man¡¯s face, as painful as it must have been to stretch his facial muscles into those positions, I knew that smug smirk.


    I had seen it on Mercutio¡¯s face just a short time ago when he sent us charging into the city.


    I gurgled angrily at the man. He responded with an equally gurgling laugh as he jerked forward, sword again aiming for my face.


    He really wants to disfigure me. That was my brilliant thought as I briefly directed mana away from my healing, flashing it through my body just long enough to lunge forward with a blur. The man¡¯s body was damaged enough now that I easily moved faster than him, and I took his arm off at the wrist.


    He didn¡¯t scream or show any sign of pain. He merely glanced down at his missing limb like its disappearance startled him. But by the time he looked up, I was already moving again. I swung my sword and sheared right through his stupid helmet-less head, and he dropped for what I hoped was the final time.


    To my utter shock, my purse grew a bit heavier as a soul was added to it.


    He was alive? Wait, then, was I seeing things? But¡­


    My thoughts scattered as I stumbled, and I only barely supported myself against the balustrade without tipping over it.


    I was losing more blood. I needed oxygen, pronto.


    I had no way of remedying either situation.


    I wondered¡­ if I could raise my head and focus my blurry eyes, would I spot an asshole of a demon watching me from the front door of his turtle home?


    I tried to do just that, even as I stubbornly continued spinning my mana towards my injury. But I could see nothing past the increasing haziness of my vision. Besides, the black dots swimming all around me were too distracting to allow further coherent thought.


    I thought I heard shouting. I could have sworn someone grabbed me from behind as I collapsed.


    Then everything went black.


    ¡ª


    I came to with a pained gasp and a heaving cough. I was drowning. The water was deep in my lungs, and it was now violently coming out. Heave after heave I puked it up, until there was nothing left to obstruct my airway and I could suck down blessedly fresh oxygen.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Someone was thumping my back. This triggered a whole secondary round of dry heaving, which must have shown them they could stop. The thumping ceased, and I finally collapsed onto my side.


    I couldn¡¯t see a thing. It was just darkness all around me, and everything felt woozy and unstable in a way I had only ever experienced while standing on a boat.


    Then someone gripped my face, and they poured something down my throat. Whatever it was, it sent a stab of light and pain straight through my skull.


    I tried to twitch away, but I felt more like a collection of limp noodles than a person. The light and pain spread down my throat and burned all throughout my chest. Oddly, they also faded at a steady clip, which was a tiny bit reassuring.


    I heard someone curse, then call my name. When I refused to do anything but pant, they poured a second dose down my throat, causing another eruption of light and pain. This time, though, when the light slowly eased off, it took the darkness with it.


    My vision was blurry, but I could see. Someone was gripping my face with both their hands, and I was staring directly into their eyes.


    I knew those eyes.


    ¡°Mia?¡± I rasped, then broke into coughing. My entire respiratory system did not like it when I tried to talk.


    ¡°You absolute idiot,¡± Mia hissed harshly, then shook my head to emphasize her words. ¡°What were you thinking? You tore off, and we were ordered deeper into the city immediately, and then I catch sight of you dying on top of the bloody ramparts? You do realize that if I hadn¡¯t rushed up here, you would be dead by now, right?¡±


    I let out a wheezy laugh, which, ouch. Worse, it only made her shake me again.


    ¡°Trying to shake the stupid out of me won¡¯t work,¡± was my highly intelligent quip. Judging by the way her hands tightened on my head, she did not find it funny. Then again, my weak, reedy voice was hardly ideal for comedy.


    She let out a frustrated breath, then shook her head as she stepped away from me. Losing the support of her hands almost made me sag back to the ground, but I rallied and kept myself in a sitting position.


    ¡°Whatever. Your stupidity is something we¡¯ll worry about later. At least I owe you a little less now.¡±


    I frowned at her in confusion.


    She explained, ¡°I saved your life? Like you saved mine when you led me closer to Glaustro after the teleport? And then you used a healing potion on me, like I just used on you?¡±


    I snorted, marveling at how that was already possible to do. ¡°You know you don¡¯t owe me for that, right? You tried to help me, and I didn¡¯t exactly tell you to follow me. Besides, while you were badly hurt, you probably wouldn¡¯t have died without that potion. But I definitely would have, just now, without your help.¡±


    She smiled at me. It was such a genuine smile that all I could do in response was blink dumbly. ¡°Well, I disagree. Besides,¡± she teased, her mood already recovering, ¡°if it wasn¡¯t for that moment, I wouldn¡¯t have bought two healing potions before we left that city, just in case. So you really saved yourself.¡±


    ¡°You are weird,¡± I told her honestly. Then her smile started to dip, and I hastened to add, ¡°But I like it! It¡¯s¡­ a good weird!¡±


    I wanted to scoff at the relief that bloomed in my chest when her smile recovered. Almost getting killed was not the moment for deep emotional bonding.


    Instead, I focused on dragging myself fully to my feet, then took an experimental step. It was a bit wobbly, but considering what I had just gone through, I felt amazing.


    ¡°What¡¯s the situation like out there?¡± I asked, changing the subject.


    Mia immediately sobered up. ¡°There are no civilians. Like, at all. There were only soldiers in the city, and surprisingly few of them, at that. I think¡­¡± She trailed off, leaning over the parapet to look into the city. ¡°Yep. The others have hunted them down already. They¡¯re coming back out of the city.¡±


    We descended the stairs slowly, mostly for my sake, and then joined the crowd of people headed back towards Mercutio. I earned myself a few odd looks, but none of them really commented on all the blood covering the entire front of my armor. I grimaced and contemplated trying to wipe some of it off, but I knew it was hopeless.


    It feels all sticky and gross, though, I thought, then snickered to myself. There I was, complaining about the way my shirt stuck to my torso instead of celebrating my survival.


    The thought lifted my mood a little, at least until I laid eyes on Mercutio again.


    The man stood on the lip of his turtle¡¯s shell, impatiently tapping away with his foot. This, along with his pouting face and crossed arms, gave him the appearance of a belligerent young adult rather than a powerful demon.


    ¡°Finally!¡± he snapped. ¡°I only felt a few human souls left in the city when we arrived. And still, it took you this long to return?¡± He gestured at his own feet. ¡°You may place the souls there.¡±


    For a long moment, no one moved. Confusion reigned on every face.


    Apparently, that was the wrong reaction.


    ¡°Well?!¡± Mercutio¡¯s face contorted in anger. ¡°What are you waiting for, you failures? Present all the souls you reaped from that forsaken city! I am an important surveyor sent here by the logistics division. I need to sift through the locals¡¯ memories in search of clues to important locations and materials.¡±


    Again, no one moved.


    Then some poor yet brave soul hesitantly piped up. ¡°All of them?¡±


    ¡°Yes, all of them!¡± Mercutio shouted, his gray skin taking on a pale white hue in what must have been, for him, a flush. ¡°You will obey me, now!¡±


    His rage was rolling across us palpably at that point, but at least he didn¡¯t kill the recruit who dared question him, no matter how much he looked like he wanted to.


    I don¡¯t know where I found the courage to speak up, but from the relief rippling out around me, I knew instantly that I was voicing the question on everyone¡¯s minds.


    ¡°And how will we know which souls we earned now, and which we had from before? You can¡¯t be asking us to give you everything we own. Some of my souls were a gift from a sergeant.¡±


    Well, one was, but he didn¡¯t need to know that.


    Mercutio¡¯s eyes focused on me, and the sheer malice glowing there made me want to back off. I didn¡¯t.


    After a few tense moments of silence, the demon broke into a low chant. Mana spun up around his hands, resolving into runes, before it suddenly erupted. It washed over us and into the city. Then, like a line that had been cast out, the demon reeled the mana back in.


    I shuddered as it passed over me again, but the moment it did, my purse lightened up. I cautiously opened it and reached in, feeling at once that some of the souls were now uncomfortably hot. I extracted them one by one until I held a number that matched up to my memories of the slaughter.


    ¡°Would that suffice to get you useless mortals moving?¡± the demon snarled.


    This time, no one hesitated. One by one, we walked up and turned over the souls, no matter how reluctant we felt doing it.


    He nodded, his voice dripping with disdain. ¡°I thought so. You can set up camp here. We¡¯re leaving at first light.¡±


    Turning away, he flounced towards the door of his home.


    ¡°But¡­¡± Mister Twenty Percent Ascension, completely covered in blood not his own, was the one who piped up this time. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to claim the city?¡±


    Mercutio stopped cold in the middle of his dramatic exit. Turning back with glacial slowness, he fixed his icy gaze on the poor recruit.


    ¡°Do I look, to you, like one of those soldier types? Do you think I belong to the conflict division?¡±


    ¡°N-No, sir,¡± Mr. Twenty Percent stammered, snapping a salute just as, ironically, he would have done for a ¡®soldier type.¡¯


    ¡°Then why are you asking me to do their job?!¡± Mercutio bellowed, sufficiently cowing a lot of the recruits into flinching away.


    I just frowned. No claiming meant no demonic city, and no demonic city meant no invaluable resources. Including, in fact, the ability to teleport to other towns and contact higher-ups in the legion.


    Very convenient, if you ask me. For Mercutio, that is. Was he even allowed to make us attack this city?


    It was a very important question, and one I was unlikely to get an answer to. What I could do, however, was boost my chances of survival a little.


    The fight had shown me that, no matter how powerful I became, a single moment of carelessness was all it took to kill me. More importantly, it showed me that my nominal allies did not give a shit. Did they really not see me getting attacked? And if they did, were they told to look away, paid to do it even, or were they just hoping to get my stuff once I died?


    It didn¡¯t matter. I had to get the other recruits on my side, and I was pretty sure I had the right approach in mind. It was an idea I had been toying with for some time, but had judged it to be not worth the effort.


    After that little incident, though?


    I needed to be able to turn my back on the other recruits without fear of getting shanked.


    I cleared my throat.


    ¡°Before you all scatter, I would like to say a few things,¡± I began, speaking loudly as the other recruits turned away to their own miniature camps. I found it reassuring that everyone nearby turned back towards me, though I wasn¡¯t sure the whole troop heard.


    ¡°Spread the word, please. I need all of us here for this,¡± I insisted.


    Then I walked towards the middle of the congregation. Mia, bless her heart, followed in my footsteps. So did Mr. Twenty Percent and a couple others who wanted to stay close for whatever reason.


    When I was deep in the ranks, I looked around me, took a deep breath, and spoke.


    ¡°We can¡¯t afford to continue like this. We got lucky this time, but what if we encounter a city that¡¯s not ruined next time around? Somewhere with defenses intact?¡±


    It was unlikely, but they didn¡¯t know that, and I certainly wouldn¡¯t tell them. I liked the ripple of doubt my words caused, though.


    ¡°We need to be more united,¡± I declared. ¡°So, here¡¯s my suggestion¡­¡±

 Chapter 52: Magic Forays

    The next morning, I woke up feeling more relaxed and refreshed than I had since increasing my ascension level. As I lay in my tent, enjoying this strange contentment, I reached an important understanding.


    Just because you can survive under adverse conditions doesn¡¯t mean you have to keep enduring those conditions.


    You can do something about it.


    I wasn¡¯t even aware of how worn out I was until the threat of the other recruits fell away. I no longer had to watch my back, or stress over someone stealing into my tent in the dead of night. I didn¡¯t have to sacrifice my sleep to ensure Mia got enough rest either.


    The solution to my problem was simple. I had offered the other recruits something they desperately wanted: instruction in the body strengthening mana technique. In return, I asked for an oath that would bind all of them to good behavior until the invasion was over.


    Oh, I was a lot more careful with the wording, and getting them all bound by the oath took some finagling. But magic was wonderful in the sense that it wasn¡¯t a completely rigid science. And Clariette¡¯s memories came in quite helpful as well.


    The various groups elected leaders, and then we took a vote backed by mana. Since the vote passed, the leaders could then make the oaths in the name of their groups. Meaning, I didn¡¯t need to shake countless hands and perform the oath again and again until I passed out from mana exhaustion. I just had to make the deal twelve separate times to cover all the recruits.


    As a result, we could finally camp in a proper formation, with real guard shifts running. I could also be sure that no one would try to shank me on the orders of our lovely commanding officer.


    Said officer wasn¡¯t too happy about that.


    He had stomped out of his house while the voting was in progress, but he did glare at me venomously before returning to his hole. That, at least, confirmed another of my suspicions. My gambit from the day before had proved that Mercutio was not at liberty to rob us. Now I also knew he couldn¡¯t just murder us to get his way.


    This was in direct contrast to the attitude I had witnessed in demons from my own troop back at the beginning. The memory of a human dying for merely hitting on a demoness was still fresh in my mind. So, either this restraint was unique to Mercutio, or something had changed about demonic-mortal relations in the legion.


    Whatever the reason, I was not going to complain.


    I stretched luxuriously in my tent, smiling at the sensation of being comfortable for the first time in days.


    The wonderful advantages of being a mage, I thought idly.


    Sitting up, I reached for my soul bag. Then I hesitated.


    On paper, I had the perfect environment to continue my training. Doubly so since the oath included a stipulation freeing Mia and me from all guard duties. Still, did I dare pull out my mana crystals in the middle of camp?


    As I stared at my ratty pack, I decided yes. Yes, I dared. Moving into a cross-legged position, I drew out my first mana crystal of the day.


    Over an hour later, a smile spread across my face as a shudder rocked my body.


    Another advancement, even if I had to use almost ten greater mana crystals to get it.


    My mana core was demanding more and more resources in order to advance, but I could still support the process with no issues. I wasn¡¯t even close to dipping into my supply of superior mana crystals.


    But with the sixth layer of my mana core firmly in place, I had something better to spend the rest of my morning on. For the first time since getting it, and using a ridiculous amount of care, I extracted Clarinette¡¯s grimoire from my bag.


    It was still as impressive as the first day I saw it, even if the cover¡¯s mystical luster had dimmed considerably. Once again thanks to her memories, I knew that was just a normal side effect of Clarinette¡¯s death. After all, grimoires served as soul-bound spell repositories and research journals. A mage could use a single grimoire throughout their life. This book looked shabby now because the remnant power Clarinette left in it had been consumed.


    Of course, that didn¡¯t mean claiming it would be a simple matter.


    I gave the book¡¯s cover an experimental tug, but its pages might as well have been glued together. I didn¡¯t mind. If anything, that just made my smile grow, since it proved this grimoire was the real deal.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to enjoy rifling through your secrets,¡± I whispered, stroking the cover like some demented loot goblin.The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    Normally, there were only two ways to unlock a stolen grimoire: crack its defenses, or bypass them entirely. The former required a lot of blunt magical force, so the thief would need to be significantly stronger than the grimoire¡¯s previous owner. For the latter, the thief would have to eclipse the fallen mage in mana manipulation skills.


    I was a layer above Clarinette in strength, and my talent was far beyond hers. But since I hadn¡¯t spent my whole life training in magic, both ¡®normal¡¯ ways to proceed were inaccessible to me.


    It was a good thing, then, that I could cheat.


    A grimoire¡¯s lock was touted as infallible. Even if someone had the strength to force or bypass it, they could never trick it because it only responded to its owner¡¯s soul.


    That was only partially true.


    What a grimoire really responds to is the unique signature of its owner. Every mage has their own special way of interacting with mana. If you could perfectly replicate a mage¡¯s mana signature, you could unlock that mage¡¯s grimoire. But considering the depth of familiarity necessary for such replication, the two ¡®normal¡¯ ways were widely considered to be more viable options. After all, such a familiarity would require countless hours of study and invasive procedures.


    Or, you know, someone could just slurp down the mage¡¯s soul and inherit their mana signature.


    That also works.


    Clutching the grimoire in my hands, I pulled the relevant memories close to the surface of my mind. For a few moments, the boundary between what I stole and who I was turned precariously thin. Still, it was more than enough time to shape my mana accordingly and send it into the stubborn book.


    With a soft ¡®click,¡¯ the grimoire flipped open.


    I smiled like a loon.


    ¡ª


    Mia and I were the envy of all the soldiers when our march resumed later that day. While everyone else trudged along, covered in dirt, mud, and blood, we were pristine.


    I had wiped the grimoire of its former owner¡¯s imprint and bound it to me, but I hadn¡¯t stopped there. I had also shamelessly claimed a new cantrip, the simplest form of ¡®Cleanse.¡¯ It did exactly as advertised. When I used it on myself and Mia, it cleansed our tools, clothes, and bodies from filth, sweat, and whatever else had accumulated on us during our trek through the great outdoors.


    It was the easiest cantrip in the book, but I loved it to bits. The effects were invaluable for personal morale. It was also my first attempt at external magic, and I managed to get it down in merely twenty minutes.


    Not even the daily brand-torture from Mercutio could ruin my good mood. He absolutely noticed this, just like he noticed my new grimoire, attached to my waist by a fancy cord. Maybe I would pay for that bit of vanity eventually, but I felt such a gleeful need to gloat for the special occasion that I couldn¡¯t help myself.


    Three days later, I was still riding high off the emotions. So high, in fact, that I not-so-sneakily shared a couple of my mana crystals with Mia. The woman said nothing upon receiving them, but the determined nod she gave me and the gleam in her eyes spoke volumes on their own.


    The rest of the little army Mercutio had stolen for himself was not in similarly high spirits.


    In addition to the endless marching, Mercutio directed us to another city, and it was a disappointing repeat of the first. The defenders were few, demoralized, and easily dispatched. In spite of that, I went into combat cautiously and with Mia by my side.


    For once, I made the right decision.


    Two more soldiers with uncanny abilities attacked me. The first attack happened as soon as I set foot in the city. One moment, a terrified local was running away from me. The next, he was running at me, grinning as he tried to open my throat with skills he absolutely had not possessed a few seconds earlier. The other attempt happened towards the end of combat, when a would-be assassin went after me from inside a half-ruined home.


    Thankfully, my physical abilities, along with Mia¡¯s first hints of mastery over her mana technique, meant we could close out both encounters with no injuries. Mia actually hamstrung the second assassin from behind, allowing me to claim his head. Both men were unnaturally focused on me, ignoring Mia to the detriment of their health.


    Still, the city wasn¡¯t necessarily a great experience. The general mood got worse when Mercutio once again confiscated the few souls we did manage to earn, all in the name of his ¡®task.¡¯


    Mercutio himself was in a foul temper. He didn¡¯t direct us towards a city again. Maybe he was losing hope in his ability to kill me through puppets, if those really were his doing. Maybe it was because of the increasingly gloomy countenance of his soldiers. Instead, he pushed us from dawn to dusk towards our ultimate destination.


    It was on the evening of the second day that we caught our first glimpse of Glarind¡¯s Spine.


    If I had to be honest, I was a bit disappointed. The way Clarinette¡¯s memories and grimoire entries described the place, I expected towering mountain peaks that pierced the sky. Instead, the mountain range was¡­ middling. Sure, it dominated the horizon, but that wasn¡¯t difficult when most of the kingdom seemed to be insultingly flat. In fact, less than a day¡¯s march after that first glimpse, we were already drawing close to the foothills. That¡¯s how short ¡®Glarind¡¯s Spine¡¯ was.


    The one thing that didn¡¯t disappoint was the level of ambient mana in the area.


    With every step, I felt the concentration of the mystical substance increase in the air all around me. It was a cinch to maintain all my techniques. I was even able to marginally improve my core¡¯s capacity, just off the ambient mana alone.


    I could understand why the local mages valued the place so much. With a lack of other resources to speed up their training, living near this mountain range would have been a massive boon.


    Even Mercutio was more focused that evening. When he came strolling out to order us to stop, the demon¡¯s face was fixed in a dignified expression. His eyes shone with an inner light that made us all freeze when they swept past us. He was so serious, he didn¡¯t even seem inclined to give me any special menacing attention.


    ¡°The purpose of my division is to discover and catalog new and useful resources in every world the legion visits,¡± he announced. ¡°We treat this task as our utmost duty and honor. The area we will be visiting tomorrow is one of the few on this world likely to yield such treasures. You will act as I order you to, and only as I order you to.¡±


    He paused, sweeping the whole troop with his signature burning, cold gaze.


    ¡°Fail to comply with my demands, and I will execute each and every one of you. You are dismissed for today. We start early tomorrow.¡±


    Then he flounced back into his home, leaving me with a vague sick feeling in my stomach.

 Chapter 53: Blazing Glory

    I jerked awake the next day to the burning of my brand. This was not a new experience. But when I rushed out of my tent, I was briefly taken aback by the fact that it wasn¡¯t even dawn yet. This was new. For all his faults, Mercutio typically gave us the whole night to rest.


    Such a departure from the norm did not bode well for the rest of the day.


    When I arrived at our gathering point by the turtle, he was, for once, already waiting. The pain in my brand petered off immediately.


    Somehow, that set me further on edge.


    When all were assembled, he spoke a single word of command.


    ¡°Follow.¡±


    Then his turtle rumbled ahead of our procession.


    Its pace was brutal. Even with an entire house on its back, the lumbering beast was now moving at speeds I could only match by engaging my body strengthening technique. The faces of the other recruits were grim. Had I not shared the technique with them as part of our oath, they would definitely be lagging behind the demon¡¯s transport. Even now, with the advantages that a strengthened body offered, many were barely keeping up.


    The one saving grace for this torturous speed was that we would reach our destination soon.


    We were headed for a ringed fortress situation on a steep hill. It was so far away that only my enhanced eyesight allowed me to spot it. This meant that it wasn¡¯t yet a discernible blur for the rest of my fellows.


    Even from this distance, the fortress was impressive. My admiration only grew as our blazing pace ate up the distance, allowing me to pick out more details. The technology required to build such a thing must have relied heavily on mana. The walls were anchored directly into the cliffs, perfectly surrounding a chasm in the mountainside.


    But the construction around this hole in the world¡¯s crust wasn¡¯t the main attraction.


    What was gushing out of the hole was far more magnificent.


    An endless tidal wave of mana poured continuously out of the opening. While a decent bit of it washed down the mountain and enriched the surrounding area, most of it was trapped by the half-transparent dome that stretched over the entire fortress. It wasn¡¯t like the spatial barriers I was familiar with. Instead of a kaleidoscope of colors, this barrier had a baby blue tint to it, much like the color of mana itself.


    That explained why this place had survived when the invasion force took down the inner kingdom¡¯s barrier. The fortress wasn¡¯t a part of the barrier network at all.


    Mercutio¡¯s turtle had just reached the foot of the mountain and taken one solid step onto it when a voice rang out above us.


    ¡°Halt, intruders!¡±


    The strength of the voice belied the age of its owner. The elderly man leaned heavily on a gnarled staff that looked to be made of an enormous tree root. He was wrapped in a robe so black, it almost consumed the light around him.


    ¡°Who are you, to demand I stop?¡± came Mercutio¡¯s taunting voice. He stepped forth, looking scornfully up at the elder. ¡°A mage of middling power would bar my entry to this mana spring? How, pray tell, are you planning to do that?¡±


    For a moment, the old man did nothing but stare at the demon. Then his laughter echoed down the mountain. I noted nervously that a few rocks clattered down to us as a result.


    ¡°True,¡± the mage declared. ¡°There is little I can do to stop you, if you set your mind on taking this place. Little I can do, indeed. Did you know we were ordered to retreat? We have one of the few remaining transportation matrixes that survived the fall of our kingdom¡¯s new barrier. Much good that atrocity did us. I declined to follow the rest, of course.¡±


    ¡°Then you are a fool. Your barrier is impressive in strength, but it is a work with no finesse to it at all. I won¡¯t even need an hour to crack it.¡±


    Mercutio¡¯s tone was mocking, but an admission that a demon would have to work that long at all was, in a way, a compliment.


    To my surprise, the old man merely smiled down at the demon.


    ¡°I expected that. Your lot ruined her work, after all. We should never have unleashed that mad woman. Now, it is far too late.¡± The old man paused and turned, looking at the majesty of the mana spring behind him. ¡°Tell me, demon, what do you think of this place? What do you make of the mana spring that has sustained our kingdom¡¯s advancement for several millennia?¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s rather puny, mortal. I came here hoping for¡­ more. No matter. I doubt I can find much of worth on such a weak world anyway, but I might as well check once you are dead.¡±


    ¡°Ah, that¡­ I apologize, but I don¡¯t think I can let you do that,¡± the old mage answered, his voice surprisingly cheerful as he turned back towards Mercutio. ¡°You see, demon, I have always been an enchanter. I have spent countless years laboring to improve my craft for the betterment of my kingdom. Isn¡¯t it fitting, then, that my final act would deny our enemies what few resources I can still withhold?¡±


    For the first time, Mercutio stiffened. ¡°What are you talking about? What have you done?¡±


    The old mage wasn¡¯t looking at him anymore. His eyes were lost, trained on something far away.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    ¡°Yes, yes, this will do nicely. I need no better tomb.¡±


    He smiled, lifted his staff with both hands, and let it fall.


    At first, nothing happened. Then red mana erupted from the spot where the mage stood.


    It wasn¡¯t the red of demonic mana. Rather than the dark, almost sickly crimson that marked the gifts of the Abyss, this was a bright, clean color.


    It covered the entire barrier in seconds.


    Mercutio roared and threw his arms up, eyes wild, as mana started to flood from his body. It rose up in a giant wave, trying to smother the barrier.


    Before it could, however, I caught sight of the mage¡¯s clean red mana turning on the spring itself. The constant flow stuttered, paused, then reversed, as endless mana tried to force its way back beneath the earth. The ground under our feet shuddered, and I stumbled.


    I wanted to run. To put all the power I could into my legs and just book it.


    Instead, I grabbed Mia¡¯s hand and dragged her closer to the turtle.


    Above, cracks were starting to form in the fortress¡¯s barrier. They spread rapidly, flickering and gleaming with that bright red light. I could see them even through the smothering of Mercutio¡¯s mana as the demon desperately wove the torrent of his power into massive runes.


    My ears popped. The pressure from the reversed spring was mounting in the air, compounded by the warring mana waves and the dismantling barrier. I pulled Mia along at a staggering run.


    We barely made it under the turtle¡¯s bulk before the explosion erupted.


    The world itself shook as the might of a weaponized mana spring was turned on us. Bright red, dark red, and blue flames licked their way up from the depths, devastating all in their path.


    Mercutio¡¯s mount stumbled, then hunkered down to anchor itself as well as it could. We almost got squished, but Mia and I, along with the recruits who had brains, managed to press ourselves against the turtle¡¯s shell and hold on.


    Then the barrier finally gave way, and the noise of the explosion turned from deafening to something beyond sound as the old mage went out in one final blaze of glory.


    ¡ª


    I didn¡¯t feel particularly scared as mana washed over everything in a burning haze. At some point, when you see a sufficiently impressive disaster, the emotion shifts from whatever you¡¯re expected to feel into a kind of numb awe.


    The experience reminded me of a video I once saw of a hiker caught in an avalanche. The poor guy managed to hide behind the tallest available rock, and then he watched the force of nature streaming around and above him, sprays of errant snow finding their way onto his clothes and camera.


    Except I didn¡¯t have the luxury of just watching the mana swirl around me.


    The mystical substance was past the point of hot, well into the range of what wasn¡¯t possible to encounter on the surface of a planet. Every stray spark that reached me burned, and it wasn¡¯t content to stop at that. Instead of attaching themselves to my clothes or hair, the sparks sank into my mana. They fought to take root there, to ignite my own reserves and core until I became a straw man lit up from the inside.


    Only my status as a full mage, and the ease with which my demonic mana half consumed the sparks, kept me from combusting.


    Mia was whimpering in pain, but a quick glance at her assured me she would be fine. Without even meaning to, I had shoved her between myself and the shell of the turtle, covering her with my body. Only a few stray sparks reached her, and I had to believe she would be able to put those out on her own.


    All around us, screams rent the air.


    Many of the recruits were nowhere near as lucky or as powerful as the two of us. They were paying the price of Mercutio¡¯s stupidity and the old mage¡¯s spite.


    I wasn¡¯t just idly watching them, of course. Maybe it was opportunistic of me, but I was already squinting through blurry eyes in an attempt to identify as many ash piles as I could. Within them, I easily caught the glint of souls, unmarked by the passage of the inferno.


    I smiled grimly.


    Mercutio might not have let us openly loot the remains of other recruits, but I could definitely still snatch a few souls. Maybe even enough to spend on something good.


    It felt like the eruption of mana continued forever. In reality, it couldn¡¯t have taken more than five minutes for the mana spring to vent its fury. The gushing tide eventually stemmed, then petered out.


    Not being a complete idiot, I carefully waited another minute or two for any last sparks to fade. Then, finally, I lifted my head past the turtle¡¯s protection.


    I was greeted by a significantly altered landscape.


    The mana¡¯s initial impact was a destructive thing, borne of uncontrolled interactions among the old mage¡¯s runes, the mana spring¡¯s changes, and the barrier. But mana was, at its core, a nourishing force. It naturally sought to alter and enhance its environment, as evidenced by the mostly benevolent mutations of demonic mortals living in mana-rich worlds. As such, a surge of mana as powerful as this one was bound to leave a mark.


    And the mark was everywhere.


    Every element of my surroundings, from the rocks to the plants to the air, now glistened with bright colors. The ground had been so heavily infused with mana that it constantly gave off a low level of heat. The crimson rocks sparkled and twinkled most enchantingly.


    It was the plant life that really caught my eye. Before, the area had been scraggly when it came to flora. Nothing but grass, a couple of trees, and some mountain flowers. Most of this had burned away instantly in the mana explosion. But a few rare gems survived, fundamentally and permanently changed.


    An odd, violet-colored patch of grass shone to my left. Its blades were waving despite the absence of wind. A tree stood three times taller than before, with leaves that were a vivid scarlet and a trunk that was the purest ebony I had ever seen. A flower cradled an orb of flame delicately within its crown of rainbow-like petals. Its stalk and leaves were nearly transparent, giving the appearance of a will-o''-wisp hovering low to the ground.


    Those were just the most blatant examples. Every plant that had survived was now a magical wonder. I couldn¡¯t help but lament the fact that the old mage¡¯s final actions made the area even more irresistible¡­ to anyone except demonic invaders. As it was, these mana-altered elements would likely be of interest to crafters, but I didn¡¯t think demons would categorize them as highly valuable.


    The biggest change was in the mana spring itself.


    Whereas before, the flow was pure blue and solely nourishing, it now gushed with the mage¡¯s bright red mana. I wasn¡¯t sure how he had managed to infect the very source of the spring with his alterations, but it was unlikely that any regular mortal mages would be able to practice around here anymore.


    Maybe he had done it thinking the same would apply to demons. Perhaps he believed only flame element users would be able to benefit from the spring, limiting the use of it severely.


    Point of fact was, demons didn¡¯t care. For them, mana was mana. And this world was so weak, even this torrential spring would be practically worthless in their eyes anyway.


    While I reflected, I didn¡¯t allow myself to linger. I had already pulled a dazed Mia to her feet, shoving the closest soul I could find into her hands. That got her attention. Her eyes cleared, and she shot me a startled look.


    I quickly shushed her. Then, gesturing at the dazed or unconscious survivors around us, I silently urged her to get a move on.


    She caught my message. Some of the others began to stir, but we still had a solid ten minutes of looting before a roar of rage shook the very air.


    I chanced a look up at the turtle just in time to see a spell being hurled at the mountain.

 Chapter 54: The Capital of Mages

    Again and again, Mercutio lashed out in pure rage, heedless of the fact that his target was dead. He was only kicking up dust, but I was not about to complain. I kept moving, snatching up as many souls as I could before he came to his senses.


    When it became difficult to find readily available souls, I caught the back of Mia¡¯s shirt. With a sharp tug, I led her over to the rest of the slowly recovering recruits, right up against the turtle¡¯s shell.


    Oddly enough, the beast was untouched. Its black shell hadn¡¯t even heated up, something I was immensely grateful for in retrospect. Likewise, Mercutio¡¯s ¡®home away from home¡¯ still stood.


    I got to see the state of the demon himself when he came stomping around the house. He glared down at the collection of mortals sprawled around his turtle in various states of consciousness. Those stormy blue eyes of his swiveled around until they landed on me, and his expression grew baleful.


    ¡°I see some of you managed to survive,¡± the demon snapped. I had to hide a smirk at his smudged, soot-covered appearance. Some of his clothing was charred or melted, but overall, he was in remarkably good health for having tanked a mana eruption.


    With effort, he controlled his anger, growling his next words out through clenched teeth.


    ¡°Get them up. Get all of them up.¡±


    He looked ready to erupt himself, hands clenching and unclenching at his side in a way that sent a pang shooting through me.


    That was a nervous habit of mine. I had caught myself doing it many times, especially when I was frustrated after a day of training. I spent a long time training myself out of it, and¡­


    I winced, feeling a headache start up as my thoughts ran into a wall of confusion and outrage.


    That isn¡¯t me. None of that is me. It¡¯s Hayden.


    Except it was getting harder to make that argument, wasn¡¯t it? My identity had been blurry from the start. Now it was doing a merry jig, stomping all over the line I kept trying to draw between the man I used to be and the man whose body and memories I had stolen.


    Referring to myself as ¡®Hayden¡¯ now came far too naturally. It was easy, a subconscious urge I was losing the battle to suppress.


    A surge of terror shot through my gut. What could this mean for me? Considering all the other memories I had stolen, bouncing around in my head¡­


    I didn¡¯t have the chance to freak out, thanks to a sudden surge of agony that ripped through me. I spasmed as I screamed and collapsed to the ground. My teeth were clacking uncontrollably, so hard that I was worried they would shatter.


    When the pain faded and I went still, my eyes landed on the smug face of Mercutio.


    ¡°Do not ignore me, mortal, or your punishment will be much worse next time!¡± the demon hissed, lips curling at the thought of getting to torture me further. ¡°Now, rouse your useless rabble!¡±


    Trembling, I got to my feet. Mia kept glancing at me, but I ignored the terrified look in her eyes, working with her to shake the other recruits into full consciousness.


    There weren¡¯t that many of us left. For better or worse, a mere three hundred recruits had managed to escape death by avoiding the brunt of the mana wave.


    There was one notable exception.


    I initially dismissed the man as nothing more than a clump of charred remains. The only thing that gave me pause was the fact that he hadn¡¯t disintegrated into ash. When I approached and gingerly poked him with my foot, the burned husk actually groaned.


    His eyes shot open a second later. Instead of regular eyeballs, two glossy, almost glass-like orbs stared up at me, burning with an inner flame. Then the man moaned, opening his mouth.


    A burst of flame sputtered out between his lips.


    ¡°W-what happened?¡± he managed to rasp. If shredded metal could develop the ability to speak, it would sound just like his voice.


    I didn¡¯t recognize him, but that was no surprise. There were far too many recruits to keep track of even before this disaster. I hadn¡¯t cared to learn about any of them. Now, though, I couldn¡¯t help wondering who this man was. He looked remarkably young and lost and vulnerable.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    How do you properly break it to someone that they now resemble a walking, burnt corpse?


    I settled on, ¡°You got lucky,¡± then cringed internally. Forcing a cheerful smile, I went on, ¡°And, it seems like you got yourself a special flame affinity. You managed to adapt to the fire mana, somehow.¡±


    I directed the dazed man to the rest of the recruits. That was that. I tried to put him out of my mind, and squished down any pity I might have felt.


    I could not, would not, get attached to another person so soon after Mia.


    I didn¡¯t like that situation as it was. A part of me constantly felt like she would stab me in the back if the incentive was good enough. True, every day she didn¡¯t stab me in the back, that part was slowly dying, but still...


    When had I grown so paranoid of everyone and everything? Was it actually me, or was it Hayden? Regardless, serving under Mercutio certainly wasn¡¯t helping.


    Except Mercutio, I was almost certain, had actually tried to kill me more than once. And it¡¯s not paranoia if they¡¯re really out to get you¡­ right?


    Right?


    To my shock, by the time I had finished my rounds and gotten everyone moving, I caught sight of the burned recruit standing on the turtle¡¯s shell. Mercutio was conversing with him quietly, their voices too hushed for me to pick up on anything.


    Tellingly, when the demon stepped forward to assess us all, the recruit remained right where he was.


    ¡°In light of the recent¡­ events,¡± Mercutio ground out, anger temporarily flaring back to life in his features before he got it under control, ¡°we will be hastening our journey to the capital. I will open a portal for us, which you will pass through quickly.¡±


    The biting emphasis on the world told us exactly what would happen if we dallied, but I didn¡¯t care. The rush of relief I experienced at the mere thought of being away from Mercutio, or at least in the presence of other demons who might be able to keep him in line, was overwhelming.


    The demon swept out an arm, and wind swiftly picked up all around us. It burst through the piles of ash, picking up the souls dropped by over six hundred dead recruits. I couldn¡¯t stop the flare of greed and regret in my gut, but this turned out to be a good thing. The demon picked up on the emotional spike. He smirked at me, implying he was unaware of my activities before he recovered. He thought he had snatched all the souls.


    I would let him keep thinking that.


    Once the souls were piled up in front of him, several dozen floated up to form the framework of a runic matrix. Slowly, painstakingly, Mercutio started to weave a spell.


    For the first time, it occurred to me that it might not have been some scheme that kept him from claiming the cities we passed. A single portal was almost too much for him to handle. The strain on his face was obvious, despite his effort to hide it. Even his lips trembled, betraying him further. By the time a portal snapped open, the demon¡¯s face was a pale white that stood in stark contrast to his gray skin. Still, when he roared for us to hurry through, we all rushed to obey.


    The sight on the other side of the portal took my breath away.


    We stepped onto a burned field outside a massive city. The walls were bigger than any I had seen before in Berlis. They were made out of a bluish kind of rock that I didn¡¯t recognize, but if the way it glimmered under the sun was any indication, it was highly magical.


    Despite the impressive height of the walls, the city¡¯s buildings rose even higher. Dozens of towers poked into the sky, all built in different styles and of differently colored materials. Small islands seemed to hover in the air, connected to the towers by alarmingly dainty bridges that shone in crystalline hues.


    Over the entire city stretched a series of spatial shields, at least four layers deep if I was seeing correctly. The shields trapped actual clouds of mana from drifting away into the sky, forcing the mystical substance to accumulate at the highest point of the city. I wasn¡¯t sure where the clouds were coming from, but the constant stream of them rising into the air suggested there was a mana spring here, too, even bigger than the one we had just left at Glarind¡¯s Spine.


    The capital of the kingdom was stunning, and so obviously magical that I itched for the chance to walk its streets.


    Of course, compared to the city, the legion besieging it was just as impressive. The first demons I spotted were huge creatures, each one beating away on a drum. I recognized them immediately. I hadn¡¯t seen them since my inaugural battle, but they were hard to forget. Their continuous music rippled visibly through the air, causing even the outermost spatial ward to ripple in concert with it.


    A sea of tents stretched beyond the initial perimeter. Myriad demons milled around the tents, watching the barrier and preparing for war. All around the barrier, more demonic mages than I could count were working in groups. Spells went flying, mana sparked, and runic configurations climbed over the spatial shield.


    Overhead, small shapes flew in lazy circles. I fought the urge to run for the hills when one of them peeled off and came barreling down at us. The shape grew bigger and bigger until it resolved itself into a wyvern-like monstrosity that showed no sign of stopping.


    A rumble behind me warned that I should start moving again, and I got out of the way before Mercutio¡¯s turtle could squish me. Importantly, the portal winked out as soon as the turtle came through it, with no sign of the demon¡¯s other beasts emerging.


    Seems like that old mage did a number on him after all, I thought smugly, then refocused on the approaching threat.


    When it was only a few yards above us, the wyvern suddenly arrested its steep descent, producing a gust of wind that knocked many soldiers off their feet. I stayed upright, but I was more than a little awed as the impressive beast alighted gently on the ground.


    A rider quickly hopped off its back and headed straight to Mercutio. If her body language was anything to go by, she wasn¡¯t happy.


    Turning away, I tried to leave the two demons to their own devices. I was far more interested in the siege of the capital, and whether our arrival here meant I could get out from under Mercutio¡¯s thumb.


    But then the demons¡¯ angry voices cut across my thoughts, irresistibly drawing my attention to the argument that would decide my fate.

 Chapter 55: Reckless Orders

    ¡°You were NOT supposed to bring them here. Haven¡¯t you heard the orders? The reclassification?¡±


    The wyvern-rider sounded angry and stressed in a way I hadn¡¯t heard from a demon before, but Mercutio shrugged her off with his usual sleazy grace.


    ¡°I¡¯ll have you know that they are officially on loan to my division for the length of my assessment of this world. I needed assistants, and I got them.¡±


    ¡°Yes, you did. And how many did you start out with, again? Don¡¯t pretend like you don¡¯t know why we¡¯re here!¡± the demoness snarled back, her words punctuated by the angry growls of her wyvern.


    ¡°Listen, woman, I don¡¯t need you to give me orders. You cannot. All I need is a designated section of land for my troops to make camp on until this barrier falls.¡±


    Glancing back, I saw the demoness¡¯s whole posture go rigid with rage. I was reassured that Mercutio was, in fact, just a horrible person to be around for everyone.


    Good to know it¡¯s not just me.


    ¡°You do not have the authority to make that request,¡± the demoness said, her voice terrifyingly cold.


    ¡°Actually, I think you¡¯ll see I do,¡± the demon declared smugly. ¡°I am the one in charge of surveying the capital, its accrued wealth, and any materials we could potentially exploit in the long term.¡±


    ¡°Yes. I know. You forget whose aide I am. That authority applies only after the capital has fallen. Besides, I am fairly certain the general has not yet received a survey report from Glarind¡¯s Spine.¡±


    For the first time, Mercutio visibly faltered. ¡°There was an¡­ incident¡­ I need to report to the general. Glarind¡¯s Spine is no longer accessible to traditional assessment methods.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean, it is no longer accessible? Did it vanish?¡± the demoness demanded, her arm drifting towards a sword attached to her hip.


    Mercutio flinched a step away. ¡°No! No. There was, however, an altercation¡­ A mage stationed at the spring decided to aspect it to the fire element. Violently.¡±


    ¡°You let a local simply aspect a mana spring? And you did what? Watched?¡± Amusement, disapproval, and malicious glee all mingled in the demoness¡¯s voice.


    ¡°There was a barrier already in place.¡± Mercutio grit his teeth in frustration. ¡°The mage managed to deal the first blow by overloading the barrier and causing it to explode.¡±


    ¡°Oh, poor logistics officer, did you have to fight a widdle backwater mage?¡± the woman sneered.


    I very carefully did not laugh. Or snicker.


    Out loud, anyway.


    Mercutio¡¯s entire head was now white, which was his version of a flush. ¡°I just had a mana spring exploded in my face! I will not be mocked! I have the right to demand a place here at camp, woman!¡±


    ¡°You have the right to demand exactly nothing,¡± she replied coolly. ¡°I also note that you teleported in, instead of traveling traditionally, as you were ordered. Had you stuck to the plan, you would have arrived at a conquered capital you could survey at your leisure.¡±


    ¡°Did you not hear me? I said that a local aspected and blew up a mana spring!¡± Mercutio shrieked. Then, fighting to control his volume, he hissed, ¡°What do you think they could do to the one here? The rumors say it is much bigger. This is important intelligence, and it needed to reach the general immediately!¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­ well, I¡¯m afraid the general is in an important meeting for another few hours. Don¡¯t care if the world starts crumbling around us, no one is reaching him.¡± The demoness sounded dismissive, but she shot a contemplative look at the city as she spoke, and I knew Mercutio was gaining ground.


    Then, a moment later, her expression turned sly and calculating. She refocused her attention on Mercutio.


    ¡°Say, you¡¯re a mage, right?¡±


    She asked the question so sweetly, it immediately put the other demon on guard, though he rallied quickly.


    ¡°Of course. As a scion of my bloodline is supposed to be, I am exceptional in the arcane arts, and ¡ª¡±


    ¡°Great.¡± She cut him off with a wave. ¡°By order of the general, all mages have been drafted for work on the barrier. No exceptions. You will have your meeting with the general, and I am also granting your request for a designated section of land. The recruits that accompanied you here can camp on this spot, under my authority. But you¡¯ll be coming with me.¡±


    Her smile was feral. Mercutio¡¯s face turned the whitest I had ever seen it.


    ¡°You can¡¯t do this! I belong to a different division! I am logistics! And¡­ I am weary. Exhausted. I had to keep using my spells all the way to Glarind¡¯s Spine!¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes, I¡¯m sure it was so tiring to fire off diagnostic spells every few miles while lounging in bed. I¡¯m afraid, however, that all branches of the legion are ultimately under the general¡¯s command. As such, you qualify for the draft.¡±


    Without another word, the demoness closed a fist around Mercutio¡¯s upper arm and marched him in the direction of the barrier.


    My eyes were wide. My lips stretched into a brazen grin I made no effort to contain. I felt my emotions spiking and knew I was broadcasting my glee for all the legion to feel, but I didn¡¯t care.


    Mercutio was too ¡®busy¡¯ to notice, anyway.


    ¡ª


    Setting up camp was swift and instinctive at this point. Also, the truce we had all agreed to and sealed in magical oaths kept everyone relaxed, which made things even easier.


    And Mercutio was gone. He had been put in his place and dragged off into combat.


    I wasn¡¯t sure if I would ever stop grinning.


    The one blemish on my good mood was the fact that the mutated recruit was nowhere to be seen. I tried to put it out of my mind, though. There were more important things to focus on.


    Like sightseeing an actual demonic war camp.


    For the first time, I had my eyes on a truly massive congregation of demons. I wasn¡¯t sure how many there were, but they outnumbered what I had seen even in the conquered and converted cities.


    The sheer variety of different physiques and appearances was stunning. There were demons with four, six, or even eight arms. Demons with wings, tails, oddly aquatic features, and everything in between. Their colors ran the entire gamut of what I knew, and I even saw a few mysterious hues that made my head swim. The light headache and nosebleed I developed afterwards were mildly alarming, too.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    More curious, though, was the lack of diversity in race.


    Most of the demons were at least baseline humanoids, more or less in line with what you could expect if you corrupted a human into demonic form. Sharpened ears and pointy teeth abounded everywhere I looked, but not many animal features or outright fangs. I spotted some centaur-like or otherwise fantastical individuals, but they were few and far in between.


    In a way, it mirrored the situation among the trainees. Humans were far and away the most plentiful ¡®mortal¡¯ group. Elf-like individuals were not exceedingly rare, but members of other races were. The beast-folk, for example, were pitifully few in number. I was pretty sure I had only spotted that one harpy¡­ who, on second thought, was most likely dead by now.


    I found all this a little odd, but wasn¡¯t sure what to make of it.


    I couldn¡¯t waste all my time puzzling over demonic demographics, however. As soon as my curiosity was somewhat assuaged, I vanished into my tent and took my grimoire from my hip.


    Every time I rifled through it, I felt happier and happier that I had managed to snatch it away. It was uniquely invaluable to me. Without the spells and notes it contained, I wouldn¡¯t be able to make any true use of my ongoing progress with mana.


    It was only a shame I still couldn¡¯t handle the truly valuable spells hidden away in the book. Fire Ball was a classic, but no baseline mage could hope to support the expenditure of the spell. Wind Blade, too, called to me for its versatility, along with several other spells that were just as nice.


    For better or worse, though, I needed to start with the basics. So, as I had done multiple times since picking up Cleanse, I poured over the next spell on my plate: Mage Shield.


    This was the spell I had popped so easily in order to kill Clarinette. It was a spell in her arsenal. But, if my memory served, the station had it listed as ¡®unskilled¡¯ under her soul¡¯s status. Instead, she had chosen to focus on the Mana Bolt, and even managed to increase its mastery to the Greater rank before she met her end at my hand.


    The reason for her choice was simple. Mana Bolt was an exceedingly efficient and ¡®cheap¡¯ spell. The greater your mastery, the more powerful you could make the projectile at a lower mana cost. You could even conjure two or three at once for what you would initially spend on a single bolt, and that was at mid-level mastery of the spell.


    With her middling mana reserves, even at the basic mage rank, it was the perfect spell for Clarinette.


    Mage Shield, in comparison, was a power-hungry spell. It had two modes: Cast and Forget, and Active Maintenance. Cast and Forget would anchor the shield to the mage until the invested mana ran out, with no further concentration required after casting. Active Maintenance demanded at least a portion of the mage¡¯s concentration at all times, but it also drew on all the mage¡¯s mana. It was much harder to cast. However, pulling it off meant that no one was getting through a mage¡¯s shield until they exhausted the mage¡¯s entire mana pool.


    Well, unless they poked the shield with a soul armament like my blade. But I was fairly confident the locals didn¡¯t even know about such weapons, let alone make them.


    I wanted to master Active Maintenance, and badly.


    But the spell was just not cooperating with me. I had the initial mana weaving down pat, but when it came to adding the runes and conjuring the shield, I faltered. Maybe I just wasn¡¯t used to maintaining my mana outside of my body that way, but it was frustrating nonetheless.


    The best I managed to do was to create three shaky runes and send them orbiting in the air around my arm. Self, shield, and harm. I also needed ¡®ward¡¯ and ¡®anchor,¡¯ but every time I tried to form the fourth rune, the other three crumbled away into motes of mana and I had to start over from the beginning.


    After the fifth consecutive failure, I was about ready to throw my priceless grimoire as hard as I could into the wall of my tent.


    Instead, hoping for some insight or hint that could help me, I went back and reread the basic primer on casting.


    The methods of casting are as varied as the many traditions from which magecraft sprang from in our past. Some rely on runes, some on chanting, and some even choose to sing their spells into existence. Other schools of magic forego on-the-spot casting entirely, choosing to weave their spell into artifacts or similar items their mages carry on their person at all times.


    Both approaches have benefits to recommend them.


    The casters who prepare their spells beforehand can utilize them with greater speed and power. They can even add external mana sources to their artifacts, allowing the spells to exceed the limitations of the mage¡¯s mana pool.


    On the other hand, spontaneous casting is an art form that ensures a mage is never truly without a weapon. The versatility and security this offers to a mage cannot be understated. They have saved the lives of many.


    Of course, the higher a mage¡¯s level, the line between the two traditions tends to blur.


    Certain high-ranking mages have reported that they started to develop the ability to cast simpler spells, such as Mage Shield, instantly without having to resort to tools or verbal invocations. It is theorized, though not proven, that even higher mages might be able to cast Fire Balls as easily as they cast a cantrip, but that is not what you will learn here.


    Our tradition relies on the use of the runes our predecessors have discovered to direct and bring our spells into existence. Naturally, just like every other tradition, the basis of this is exquisite mana manipulation, exercises for which you can find in chapter 2, starting on page 24. Once you have mastered the basic mana weaving for a spell, you need to emit the mana outside of your body, where the formation of your control runes can begin.


    I sighed, reading and rereading the words like they might eventually yield some sort of celestial wisdom. They didn¡¯t. The instructions were as clear as day, and identical to the manner in which the Mage Shield¡¯s guide told me to proceed.


    I needed to make mana behave outside of my body.


    Of course, pulling that off would have been easier with those mana manipulation exercises mentioned in the primer. The only exercises I knew all focused on internal stuff. Unfortunately, while Clarinette did copy the basic casting primer into her grimoire, she did not bother doing the same for chapter 2, and I certainly didn¡¯t have access to page 24 of whatever book it came from.


    So, I scowled and focused on making those three runes orbit my hand, like I had seen so many demons do. Come to think of it, I had watched the general prove all the theories postulated by this world¡¯s mages. He was able to perform extremely powerful spells with no artifact, and not even a shortened chant¡­


    I froze.


    I had seen demons use magic that way. Demons, who were way beyond the level of most mortals. Had I ever seen a human mage manipulate mana outside their body in such an obvious, visible way?


    I cast my mind back over the human mages I had encountered. While I distinctly remembered a glow around some of their hands, I couldn¡¯t come up with a single instance where I saw runes actually forming in the air around them.


    But then how¡­?


    I squinted at my hands. Slowly, tentatively, I drew my mana out of my body. But instead of casting it into the air, I sent it spiraling over my skin. Immediately, it started to glow with a murky red light.


    Tentatively, like one wrong move might ruin everything, I started shaping runes right on top of my skin, almost in it. Mana snapped into the correct runic shapes with remarkable ease. The next instant, I felt the Mage Shield¡¯s protective barrier click into place.


    Of course, I thought, hardly daring to breathe. I was trying to control mana like a demon, on a demon¡¯s level.


    When I leaned in closer to examine my left hand where I had drawn the runes, they were only barely visible, like faded tattoos on the verge of disappearing entirely. And that was with my new, enhanced eyesight. No wonder I couldn¡¯t spot any runes on other human mages!


    Before I could cackle in glee at my breakthrough, however, a pain pulsed through me. My brand burned, and my concentration immediately snapped. With that, my barrier winked out of existence too.


    I was more than a little peeved when I rubbed my brand and found another generic message to ¡®Gather.¡¯ I knew immediately it was from Mercutio. Only that asshat favored vague, single-word instructions. It was like he was hoping we wouldn¡¯t understand so he would have an excuse to punish us all.


    As we approached his stupid turtle yet again, unease gripped me. The demon was still filthy, and he looked more tired than I had ever seen him, but he was smiling.


    ¡°I have excellent news. In line with my duties, as my troops, you will be granted access to the city the moment the barrier falls. It is currently assumed this will happen in four days. There are three caches of valuables within the city, which we have been ordered to extract. You will venture into them and retrieve the items within.¡±


    We didn¡¯t exactly erupt into anxious murmurs, but more than a few of us turned to look at the city with dread. When I looked back at Mercutio, I found his stormy eyes locked on mine.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m sure you will be able to survive the experience. You¡¯ve all done so well thus far. Do me proud.¡±

 Chapter 56: The Silent Streets

    I was sort of thankful for Mercutio¡¯s need to gloat. He had clearly meant to intimidate me, and while it worked, his little speech also gave me a heads-up. It would have been much worse to get dropped into the middle of a city invasion, with no warning and no preparation, alongside an entire army of demons and who knows what kind of traps, and be told to just survive.


    This way, I had three full days to boost my chances of that survival.


    The first step, of course, was to optimize my use of the Mage Shield spell. Once I was past the hurdle that had held me back for so long, I rapidly got better at pulling up and maintaining the barrier. Some cautious tests also confirmed that I was, indeed, much safer with the shield up.


    Over the three days, I even managed to push myself all the way to the eighth layer of mana accumulation. My core thrummed with power, and I felt more capable than ever of finely manipulating my mana.


    I even tried out the Mana Bolt spell in what was supposed to be my downtime. I didn¡¯t see that as work though. Most of my former awe over magic was gone, but whatever small spark I had managed to preserve took great delight in my ability to play around with mana. Besides, while my personal barrier spell was important, getting to shoot mana arrows at stuff was so much more¡­ well, more.


    I only barely managed to kludge the spell together, even with Clarinette¡¯s memories. In most battle scenarios, it would be so much more practical for me to just grab my sword and slice something up. But it was good to have a ranged attack for the first time. Before, my only ranged option was throwing my sword, which didn¡¯t really count.


    My final act of preparation was visiting the Absorption Station within the main camp of the legion army. I didn¡¯t think they could set those up without claiming the city first, but apparently, the legion had claimed a large patch of land just in front of the capital in order to secure their position. Someone also mentioned that the presence of claimed land assisted the mages somehow, but I wasn¡¯t too sure of the details.


    I didn¡¯t visit the station for safety, or the tranquility it could bring once you got past the chair¡¯s horrific torture. I went because I had a bad feeling about what was coming, and I¡¯d be damned if I didn¡¯t do everything I could do to prepare. Plus, with the 183 souls I had stolen from fallen recruits at Glarind¡¯s Spine, I could finally afford to absorb that one greater soul¡¯s skill I had been saving. Apprentice Enchantment Theory (Basic) sounded like it could be useful, even if only to dodge traps and recognize blatant danger.


    I was right.


    While the memories I absorbed didn¡¯t outright impart on me the ability to make enchanted items, they did come with a whole dictionary of runes, along with knowledge about the runes¡¯ effects and their potential use in enchantments. I had to live through the training of a grouchy male mage who really didn¡¯t like to socialize, but that was a small price to pay, even if I did notice I was a touch more reluctant to interact with Mia afterwards.


    Of course, I didn¡¯t get to see much of her anyway. She was busy with her own preparations for the task ahead of us, which included working hard to consume the mana crystals I gave her.


    When I saw her on the morning of the third day, I had to admit I was impressed.


    Mana thrummed inside her, and unless I was off by a mile, she had advanced to the level of a Basic Mage herself. I knew from experience that the advancement pace slowed down quite a bit after each major milestone, but at least she would have a lot more mana at her disposal when we entered the city.


    Part of me wished she had advanced sooner, so I could have shared my spells with her. Another part of me wasn¡¯t sure if I would have done that. It was the same paranoid, lonely corner of my brain that continued to distrust everyone fiercely, even someone who had given me no reason for that distrust.


    Not that I was particularly ashamed of that paranoid voice. After all, you couldn¡¯t afford to be too buddy-buddy in a demonic legion.


    The fourth day dawned without regard for our feelings, readiness, or willingness. Mercutio wasted no time in herding us closer to the barrier, where we could watch the final steps of whatever it was the mages were doing.


    Most of their efforts were now unified into a massive, reddish-black web of runes, sigils, and arcane symbols that danced all over the barrier. I had no doubt the web also extended deep into the ground, covering the bottom half of the barrier¡¯s perfect protective sphere.


    Somehow, the demonic mana could discover the faults of each shield layer and unerringly pass through them to the next, like water or small particles trickling through a sieve. The massive show of magic had darkened the first three barrier layers completely and was already infecting the last one at a truly impressive rate.


    What confused me was the complete lack of reaction from the capital¡¯s denizens. Apparently, even before we showed up, none of the locals had climbed the wall to face down the demonic army. No one had even shown their face. The capital city looked like a perfectly preserved piece of art: cold, lifeless, and forgotten by the people who once inhabited it.


    The impression made a shiver of unease roll down my back.


    I cast a nervous glance around me, evaluating my team. Mercutio had divided his remaining three hundred recruits into three groups of about a hundred each. I was thankful that none of the boisterous personalities and would-be leaders were among my hundred. In fact, the only notable figures in my group were me, Mia, and the mutated recruit.


    The trepidation I felt at the sight of him was something I struggled to suppress. Logically speaking, the man was already oath-bound not to hurt me. I really didn¡¯t need to check on him every five minutes, gauging whether he had moved closer.


    I did it anyway.


    The recruit had vanished shortly after our arrival at the capital, and while I couldn¡¯t prove it, I strongly suspected he had spent all three days with Mercutio. Why would the demon tolerate the company of a mortal, when he looked ready to have us all executed most of the time? I didn¡¯t know, and I didn¡¯t like it.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    As usual, however, the world didn¡¯t stop spinning on my account.


    There was a sudden tearing noise, and then all four of the capital¡¯s barrier layers cracked as one. This time, the demons didn¡¯t weaponize the shield against the city and its residents. Instead, the same combined ritual that broke the barrier consumed it entirely. One moment, the cracking barrier was threatening to collapse on top of us, and then it was simply gone.


    The tide of impatient demons rolled forth.


    The drummers picked up the pace of their music. Mages shot into the air or ran forward at unnatural speeds. I watched the general himself march into the city, surrounded by sergeants. They all wore grim expressions.


    It was at this moment that Mercutio decided to make a nuisance of himself again.


    ¡°Go!¡± he screamed, gesturing wildly at the city. ¡°Claim what I sent you to find, so that our legion may prosper!¡±


    It was a very nice way to cushion an order that would let him hang back and just reap the benefits later, but I wasn¡¯t about to challenge him publicly on it. Instead, I joined my fellow recruits in a roar for courage and charged.


    Somehow, Mercutio had procured a detailed route for us. All three groups knew exactly which streets to travel down, what turns to take, and even the specific building each was looking for. It was almost too convenient. I would have suspected a trap, if it weren¡¯t for the established ability of demons to extract memories from souls.


    Of course, I would probably encounter a trap of a different kind, but that was a personal issue.


    But as we stalked through the streets, moving as quickly as we could without throwing all caution to the wind, something else started bothering me far more than our suspiciously clear route. It began as an eerie feeling, then evolved into outright fear.


    The city seemed¡­ empty.


    Past the clamor of the demonic army fading ahead of us, there was no sign of war. No grunts of pain echoed. No screams rent the air. There were no corpses, or civilians begging for their lives. Hell, I didn¡¯t even spot a single splash of red on the fancy cobbled streets. The army had busted down the gate and charged into the city with us in tow, and the defenders hadn¡¯t even reacted.


    Where is everyone? They wouldn¡¯t all feed themselves willingly to the barrier just to spite us, right?


    I discarded that idea quickly. It would be a massive waste of life to overfeed the barrier protecting the capital, not to mention it would render such protection pointless. Since I also didn¡¯t see any lethal kaleidoscopic lines slashing through the buildings and ground, I guessed the locals had elected not to go for another murder-suicide attempt.


    So where were they?


    I didn¡¯t have much time to puzzle it out. Between the lack of opposition and our enhanced bodies, we made extremely fast progress. Not even five minutes after entering, we were deep enough inside the city to catch sight of our destination.


    It was a palatial building, one that towered over everything else on the block. Though built out of the same bluish stone as the rest of the capital, this was clearly an important institution. Its distinctive domed roof and multitude of windows only drove the point home.


    This was a major distribution point for all magical goods and consumables in the city, one of the three responsible for catering to the many mage guilds based in the capital. Presumably, this was also where most of the kingdom¡¯s wealth was still accrued.


    I expected some sort of resistance here. Active wards and locked doors, at the very least. But when one of the more brash recruits busted open the main entrance, the double doors simply swung open, slamming into the walls on either side with a loud CRACK.


    We all froze for a moment. A comical look stole over the recruit¡¯s face, revealing that he, too, had expected this to be more difficult.


    Then, silently, we surged into the building.


    The inside was even more impressive. Swirling patterns were inlaid on the ceiling, walls, and floor, depicting stars and wild geometrical shapes beyond my comprehension. The patterns pulsed vaguely with mana, like their mere depiction was enough to charge them partially in preparation for some grand ritual.


    Still, no trap triggered. No spell lashed out against us.


    At that point, frustration overcame my fear. I felt like someone was taunting us, waiting until we were deep enough inside their trap to snap it shut. And we were just pushing further in, dancing to their tune.


    But what choice did we have? What could we do but obey our orders?


    ¡°Everyone, secure the building! Since they let us waltz in here, they can¡¯t blame us for making the most of it!¡±


    My voice was the first to break the eerie silence, jerking everyone into obedience. Maybe they would have put up more of a struggle, if not for the fact that my oath had bound everyone into some semblance of peace and order. As it was, they followed my lead without hesitation, scattering to cover the many side entrances.


    I, meanwhile, dove deeper into the building. Mia was hot on my heels, but I wasn¡¯t about to tell her not to follow.


    Just as Mercutio had instructed, we went down a series of increasingly more convoluted corridors, finally arriving at the heart of the building. There, we found a massive hatch in the ground, protected by a runic matrix engraved directly onto it and the surrounding floor.


    Some ¡®bright¡¯ mind might have felt tempted to try and scratch out parts of the matrix, especially since Mercutio had smugly declared that it was up to us to find a way inside the vault. But thanks to my most recent absorption of memories related to Apprentice Enchantment Theory, I knew exactly how bad of an idea that was. One wrong move, and I would trigger the power imbued into the enchantment, causing it to discharge. Violently.


    Instead, for the first time in a while, I fell back on one of the few things demons actually had me trained in: mana manipulation.


    Maybe they didn¡¯t give us lessons on external mana expression. Maybe I couldn¡¯t instinctively etch runes into the air. But as I began sending mana into what my enchantment knowledge suggested was the matrix¡¯s intake slot, I found it easy to control the flow of the mystical substance.


    I also found I knew how to get inside the hatch.


    A protection matrix like this typically worked by presenting a variety of mana pathways in a complex configuration. Anyone with the authorization to unseal the vault would simply run their mana through all or some of these pathways in a predetermined pattern. That pattern was the key. Follow the right pattern, and the seal would come undone with no problem.


    My solution required more brute force.


    With a mana crystal in hand, I had more than enough power to just flood the entire thing. If I faltered before getting through all the pathways, then I could just replenish my reserves, again and again. It was the equivalent of using a skeleton key to push all the pins inside a lock at once.


    In a mana poor world like this one, it worked.


    If the matrix was more complex, or designed at an Archmage level, I obviously would have failed. But here on Berlis, Grand Mages were the peak of power. And while a Basic Mage like me couldn¡¯t match even a Grand Mage¡¯s reserves, I knew Berlis didn¡¯t have access to mana crystals.


    After only a few minutes, with the soft hiss of mana slipping from the overstressed matrix, the seal broke. The vault hatch lifted by an inch.


    I almost fell when I staggered upright again, being entirely unused to running so much mana through my system so wildly. Mia glanced over briefly to check if I was okay, but at a nod from me, she moved forward and gripped the hatch door instead.


    When she wrenched it upwards, I couldn¡¯t hold back a startled hiss.


    Piles of potion ingredients, magical ores, crystals of every kind, and more lay scattered around the floor of the vault. Items of power were placed carefully on desks or special pedestals. Sturdy-looking shelves took up an entire wall, packed with enchanted weapons and grimoires.


    The dimensional bag Mercutio had given us for the mission felt heavy in my hands as I pulled it out of my pack.


    This was the sort of wealth that could ransom a kingdom.


    And we were there to steal it.

 Chapter 57: Day of The Dead

    I could have shouted for some of the other recruits to join us if I wanted to speed things along.


    I didn¡¯t.


    Mia and I were doing quite well on our own. Flitting from one pile of valuables to another, we shoved everything into the dimensional bag. Mercutio had assured us that the innocuous-looking object would be able to contain the full contents of the vault and would also protect said contents from any harm.


    By all accounts, it was a remarkably plain bag. Like something you would stuff potatoes into without a second thought. Yet, for all its shabby appearance, I now knew it was one of the few essential items no demon would be caught dead without.


    I had checked the price in the small market that popped up inside the army camp. One of these bad boys cost upwards of six hundred souls, and that was for the most basic model. While ours looked shabby, it had an insane storage capacity.


    It was yet another subtle way for Mercutio to establish his power and importance. And it was working, damn it.


    I bit back a curse as I shoved another clump of magic ore into the disgustingly impressive bag. It was bad enough getting to see and touch all of this wealth without being able to claim any of it for myself. Knowing that it was all going to Mercutio, when he would probably just throw it aside after declaring it of no value to the legion? That stung.


    It was while I was mired in these dark thoughts that I caught sight of something on one of the special pedestals.


    It was a simple, understated drawstring purse, not unlike my legion-issued soul purse. But the limited catalog of famous enchantments I had inherited from my recently stolen memories told me this was no common bag.


    It was a dimensional object, similar to the one I was holding. It was also remarkably valuable. This model allowed the owner to soul-bond to it, much like the grimoire I ¡®inherited¡¯ from Clarinette.


    I was practically salivating at the thought of owning such an item. Obviously, though, I couldn¡¯t just take it.


    Or could I?


    There were so many artifacts in this room. Mercutio would never notice one item missing without a strict list of the vault¡¯s contents.


    A list I was pretty sure he didn¡¯t have.


    Now, it was perfectly possible that he could detect the mana signatures of magical items. When we went to turn over our loot, he could pick up on any theft by scanning us for any unusual auras.


    However¡­


    Well, the signature of soul-bound items changed to match the owner¡¯s. If I was smart about things and didn¡¯t show off the purse until after we parted ways, Mercutio might never catch on.


    It was a stupid impulse, motivated entirely by pure greed and spite. Were I fully in control of myself, I would never have chosen to endanger myself for mere material gain, especially when this ¡®gain¡¯ couldn¡¯t even be measured in souls and guaranteed, at most, future convenience.


    But I couldn¡¯t stop myself.


    Reaching out, I gripped the purse and ran my mana through it, just like I had when claiming my sword, soul purse, and grimoire. In a flash, the purse was mine. No amount of regret could undo my choice.


    ¡°Hayden? What are you doing?¡± Mia¡¯s voice was hesitant. When I turned to her, purse in hand, her eyes widened in sudden comprehension. ¡°You can¡¯t just¡­¡±


    ¡°Shhhh! Think, Mia. Who¡¯s going to know? We¡¯re the only ones here. The rest are guarding us, and this is a soul-bound item. It¡¯s small too. I can keep it close to my skin or in my pack next to my grimoire or something, and he¡¯ll never even detect it. Actually, since it¡¯s a dimensional item, we might be able to take a few things extra, too.¡± I grinned, smug satisfaction curling through my soul.


    ¡°You can¡¯t be serious, Hayden,¡± Mia hissed, sounding just like a cat. Still, I could see the temptation in her eyes as they scanned the room.


    ¡°Why not?¡± I whispered. ¡°It¡¯s not like the purse¡¯s mana signature is going to get stronger if we fill it with some of this stuff. Ever wanted a proper enchanted weapon? Or¡­ how about a soul-bound grimoire of your own?¡±


    I gestured at the magical books, smiling a distinctly demonic smile. I knew for a fact she was jealous of my grimoire. And while these were unlikely to come pre-filled with spells and magical lore, grimoires were prized for a reason. Books that could act as true repositories of magical knowledge were relatively rare. To see fourteen of them lying around in the vault was amazing, and too tempting to resist.


    Just like I knew she would, Mia relented quickly. It helped when I reminded her that I would be the one smuggling the stuff out. She had nothing to lose if I got caught, especially if she threw me under the bus.


    She grumbled a little at that and claimed she would do no such thing. Then we got to picking out our loot in earnest.


    I didn¡¯t want or need another weapon, especially since the vault seemed allergic to the daggers and short swords required by my stolen style. The vault did, however, have a whole collection of impressive-looking herbs, some of which I actually recognized from my basic enchantment knowledge. I liberated a good number of those. Then, on a whim, I collected as much magical ore and leather as I could.


    By the time we stopped, I could tell from my bond with the purse that it was almost full. Considering that it had easily accepted two tents¡¯ worth of stuff, at least if measured by our small, crappy tents, I was more than happy with our haul.Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    Sharing a grin, the two of us finished sweeping the vault clean, then clambered up the ladder and out of the vault.


    ¡°There you two are. We were getting worried.¡±


    The voice, like the death rattle of some metallic beast, made both of us jerk towards its source. Peering down the hallway, I glimpsed the outline of a burned corpse, illuminated by a flicker of flame bursting from its mouth with each breath.


    The mutated recruit had come to find us.


    ¡°Sorry. There was way more stuff than I expected in there,¡± I explained with a smile, affecting a casual attitude. The dimensional purse felt like it was weighing down my pack by at least a ton from where it was bundled up next to my grimoire.


    ¡°No problem. We haven¡¯t had any trouble yet. Come on, let¡¯s get out of here before that changes.¡±


    Without another word, the recruit whose name I still didn¡¯t know turned around and started back towards the entrance. We didn¡¯t have any reason to deny him, so we followed at a good clip.


    Somehow, the way back seemed to take less time than when we ventured into the belly of the building. Maybe it was just a psychological thing, but it still put me in a relatively good mood.


    The rest of the recruits relaxed when they saw us emerge from the inner hallways unharmed. Quickly, they assembled into a protective formation around me and Mia.


    We were in possession of the goodies, after all.


    A few minutes later, we were all safely out of the building. I allowed myself a tiny moment of relief. For once, it really felt like things would go off without a hitch.


    I forgot that Berlis seemed to thrive on my pain and misery.


    An explosion rocked the city center. The ground rumbled and shook, making us all fight to keep our footing. Looking up, I caught my breath as one of the biggest towers in the capital listed and then started to collapse onto its side. Its fall tugged on the chain of floating bridges, dislodging several islands. I could only watch in mute horror as the airy structures plummeted from their intended positions in the sky.


    A shocking amount of pain and regret stabbed through me. It wasn¡¯t the idea that there might be people hiding out on those islands or in the tower. It was the ruination of such an achingly beautiful city that I couldn¡¯t stand.


    I felt like I was witnessing the fall of history. All this knowledge, art, passion, civilization¡­ it had withstood countless years, flourishing through the passage of time, always gaining in value rather than diminishing. And now, in the face of an infernal army, it was all crumbling away.


    I had become very familiar with the idea of a ¡®demonic invasion.¡¯


    Now, for the first time, I understood the full meaning of those words.


    Viscerally.


    Then a scream of pain and rage echoed through the air, and my sorrow for the city was consumed by more important worries.


    ¡°Intruders!¡± screeched the voice, madness bleeding through every word. ¡°You invade our world, you steal our souls, you destroy all that we have built! You will pay! We will have our vengeance!¡±


    Even to someone who was part of a demonic army, the voice felt unnatural. It was like countless voices, young and old, male and female, were layered on top of each other and then forged into a new, abominable whole.


    But more alarming than the proclamation itself were its effects.


    As soon as the speaker promised retribution, the ground started to shake again. Cobblestones cracked and were shoved aside. The doors of houses threw themselves open, the floors within suffering the same fate as the streets. Filthy fingers grasped for the sky as bodies tore themselves out of the dirt.


    Within seconds, we were frantically dodging a multitude of grasping hands as a literal army of the dead exhumed itself.


    This wasn¡¯t like what I had seen when the general raised the dead of Fortress City 12. This was something far more primordial, and far more abhorrent.


    I could glimpse some scraps of soul-flame wavering in the eyes of the corpses. But whoever raised these people from the dead had drained their souls first, not completely, but almost. I can¡¯t explain how I knew that. There was simply something angry, seething, inside my chest, demanding that I strike down the caster for daring to steal what wasn¡¯t theirs.


    At least we didn¡¯t need to wonder where the city¡¯s residents were anymore.


    The vast majority of the corpses were fresh, only several days dead if my reckoning was right. They represented the full range of humanity, from healthy-looking adults to a child still gripping a toy in one rotting hand.


    The sheer scope of what had been done inside the capital boggled my mind. Before then, if pressed, I would have claimed there wasn¡¯t a single mage among the locals who could carry out something like this. To kill so many, then hide the evidence? The sheer amount of mana and skill required was staggering.


    Then again, we were standing in a city based around a mana spring. If there was any place on Berlis where a local could achieve such levels of power, it would be here.


    Of course, I wasn¡¯t just staring around and thinking as the dead rose against us.


    ¡°What are you doing, you idiots? Are you going to wait for them to pull themselves fully out of the ground?¡± I demanded, angrily chopping at yet another undead trying to emerge near me.


    I hated the sensation of cutting into them.


    My sword usually sliced through flesh and bone like they were butter, but I was rudely reminded that this was only because it could transfer soul damage to the body. With no soul inhabiting the cadavers? My relatively dull sword caught on the bones, and even occasionally failed to slice through flesh. It was a mess.


    At my reminder, the recruits surged into action. To their credit, Mia and the mutated man were already in the thick of it, slashing, chopping, and doing whatever they could to lower the number of threats shambling out of the ground.


    Unfortunately, we were up against the population of an entire city, and the undead were proving to be tougher than they looked. They were also getting tougher by the second. I could see them gulping down the mana of the spring, rapidly gaining in strength, speed, and dexterity.


    It wasn¡¯t long before we were nearly overwhelmed by their sheer numbers. Several of the recruits were mobbed, dragged down, and torn to pieces.


    My eyes frantically scanned the street, finally landing on one of the bigger houses. It would fit all of us, and the front door appeared to be the only means of entry. The few windows on the first floor were small. It wouldn¡¯t be too hard to block them or, in the worst-case scenario, guard them against intrusions.


    ¡°There!¡± I screamed, raising my voice over the sounds of battle, the cries of panicked recruits, and the moans of the dead. Most caught on when I started to cut my way through the crowd. Soon, we were making decent progress towards the house.


    Not once did I drop my guard against the other recruits. The bitter lessons I received when I was almost assassinated, and in every battle prior or since, had taught me that much. Even when surrounded by other, seemingly harsher threats, I could never quite bring myself to feel safe around my nominal allies.


    That saved my life when Mercutio¡¯s new pet suddenly lunged. His sword ignited with flames, its blade aimed straight for my back.


    My form wavered, then melted away entirely as his sword went through it. I materialized a few steps away, my own blade already singing through the air.


    His scream was a thing of pure agony as I parted his hand from the rest of his arm, but my eyes lacked any pity or remorse. Instead, they blazed with anger, mixed with pure panic.


    Someone under a mana oath had just tried to kill me.


    ¡°How?!¡± I snarled, almost alarmingly indifferent to the warming hordes of undead. This should not have been possible. I should have been safe, even if I could never feel like it.


    My only answer was a scream of fury as the man fully erupted into flames. His own armor caught fire like dry kindling until he resembled a firestorm more than a humanoid.


    This walking torch looked intent on giving me a hug, and the scores of undead seemed to share his conviction that it would be a swell idea.


    I prepared myself to prove them all wrong.

 Chapter 58: The Death of a Genius

    Leaning fully into the technique I learned from Mia for the first time was a giddy experience.


    The hands of the dead grasped at me, yet my illusory clones, just two for now, confused them and made them lurch in the wrong directions. Whenever one did get perilously close, my sword was sufficiently persuasive to send them into more permanent sleep.


    And when that happened to fail?


    Well, I still wasn¡¯t anywhere near good enough to teleport between my clones, but all my practice with rune projection paid off. I could achieve enough proficiency to blur my own body temporarily into a near undetectable form, while replacing myself with a clone. It created the illusion that I was capable of short distance teleportation, and I loved every bit of the frustration on the faces of my enemies.


    Or enemy, rather. The burning recruit could still show emotion while the stiff facial muscles of the undead weren¡¯t capable of anything beyond groaning and biting.


    I managed to stay just a step ahead of them all as I ran towards the house, but it was a closer thing than I made it seem. Several times, the burning recruit almost caught me, his fingers passing inches from my skin and bathing me in uncomfortable heat.


    And the whole time, paranoia and confusion were wreaking havoc on my mind.


    None of this was supposed to be possible. And if he was suddenly capable of betraying me, what did that mean for the rest of the recruits cutting their way through the undead horde to join me? Would one of them stab me in the back while I struggled to fight off the obvious enemies?


    I can abandon them. I can just run. Mia can follow. She¡¯s even better at her technique than I am. We can get out together. But¡­ what if she betrays me too?


    The spiral of doubt and bitterness almost made me miss a step, and I forced myself to refocus on more immediate concerns. There would be time aplenty to freak out later. For now, I couldn¡¯t abandon anyone. I wasn¡¯t sure I could make it through the city alone.


    The dead were not idle while we struggled. More and more corpses were emerging and advancing on us, drawn in by the commotion or whatever other senses they had. The street was so thick with the press of bodies that it resembled a rotting river. We still had some leeway to move, on account of all the dead we had cut down already, but that wouldn¡¯t last forever.


    In a fit of genius or stupidity, I started making riskier moves. I shunted my illusions behind clusters of enemies, then did my best to move evasively. The dead kept grasping for the mana the moment it formed into a figure, which made the technique a lot harder to maintain, but I persevered.


    It paid off when my burning assassin started tearing his way through the corpses in an attempt to get at me. His fire was far more effective against the undead than any of our weapons. Soon, the street was lit by the flames of burning corpses.


    Best of all, even if it added another hazard to keep track of, the flames were spreading. The dead did not care for their own safety, so the press of their bodies made it easy for the fire to jump from one corpse-clump to the next. This was good news for the living, but it did mean we needed to hurry.


    It also meant the human torch had outlived his usefulness. I could not let him reach the house and set fire to our only chance at safety.


    With a deep breath, I switched the technique I was using and poured all my mana into it. A reddish shield sprang up around me as I materialized fully a few steps away from the burning recruit, all my clones fading away.


    He gave a roar of triumph, and then he was on me, rushing to close his arms around my body so he could burn and break me simultaneously.


    I let him do it.


    But first, I angled my sword just right.


    He was counting on my dodge. I could tell that much from the startled look in his eyes. He did not expect me to just stand there and let him close in.


    He stuttered to a full stop, arms around me in a fiery embrace. Slowly, his stunned eyes fell, gazing at the hilt of my sword pressed against his stomach.


    I had aimed up, through the ribs and straight into his heart. It was easy, since all his armor was burning or melting. When he started bleeding, I was fascinated to see that the oozing substance resembled magma. It definitely burned like magma too, sizzling against my sword, my hand, and the ground.


    He had just enough time to raise his head again and meet my self-satisfied smirk before I ripped my sword upwards, dividing his entire upper body into two parts like a macabre blooming flower.


    That, of course, caused an eruption of his odd blood that covered me entirely, but I didn¡¯t care. It also sprayed all over the surrounding undead, igniting those who weren¡¯t burning already.


    Closing the final few yards between me and the house was both difficult and exhausting. With my shield running at full power, I wasn¡¯t skilled enough to engage The Hunter¡¯s Clouded Steps as well, which meant that I had to force my way through the undead rather than dodge around them.


    Every hit drained my mana core, which was already emptied considerably from giving the human torch a hug. At least the lava blood had all slid off my barrier, leaving behind hazards for the undead to navigate.


    Even with my delay, I was still one of the first through the door. The few recruits who were now guarding it leapt out of my way, and I stumbled to the floor, panting hard.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Immediately, Mia¡¯s hands started tugging me back to my feet.


    ¡°You can rest later,¡± she taunted, though I could hear the worry in her voice. ¡°Come on, we need to help them.¡±


    I groaned, but complied, switching all the mana I could into my body strengthening technique.


    The two of us took up position next to the door, ordering everyone else to secure other potential entrances into the house. It was a delicate dance of slash, push, clear the entrance, jump out of the way for recruits to enter, resume defense, but we managed.


    Still, no amount of effort on our part was going to be enough to save everyone. By the time the screaming outside stopped and the whole horde of the undead was well and truly on fire, there were only about thirty recruits safely inside the house. The rest had either been torn apart or caught in the conflagration that the human torch had unwittingly started.


    To my immense relief, the door was made out of the same bluish, mildly mana-infused rock as the rest of the house. So, when we managed to push the burning corpses away from the entrance and slam the door shut, the sound of undead slamming against it was accompanied by the cracking of bone. They couldn¡¯t break through rock, especially not with the flames eating away at them and making their bones brittle.


    At first, I fumbled with the odd lock. It took me a moment to figure out that it required a pulse of my mana. After engaging the mechanism, I stepped away gingerly, eying the stone door like it might collapse at any moment.


    It didn¡¯t, but my sigh was more full of exhaustion than satisfaction.


    ¡°Well, that was a thing.¡±


    I gazed around the entry hallway. The floor was torn up, wooden tiles scattered everywhere. The corpses of former residents must have crawled up through these holes, dealing the same damage to the floor as their fellows outside had caused to the cobbled streets. I shook my head in disgust.


    Then I paused, looking closer. The mage responsible for the whole fiasco must have conjured away sections of the city¡¯s foundation just to pull off this trick.


    I didn¡¯t know what to make of that.


    ¡°Come on, we need a better view of what¡¯s happening,¡± I called over my shoulder to Mia, already striding down the entry hallway.


    We passed a fancy living room. A group of recruits huddled there, eying the windows nervously. Then we took the staircase to the second floor. I distinctly remembered seeing a small balcony up there. It didn¡¯t take us long to find it, through a set of double doors in what must have been the master bedroom.


    I kind of regretted throwing those doors open. Stench worse than any slaughterhouse assaulted me as I stepped out onto the balcony. It was easy enough to ignore while fighting for my life, but burning undead did not make for the most aromatic scent. Thankfully, the view from the balcony quickly distracted me.


    Above us raged a battle unlike any I had ever seen.


    A woman in tattered robes hovered in the sky, almost on level with the floating islands. While I couldn¡¯t make out her features, it wasn¡¯t due to any failure of my enhanced eyesight. Around her head, like some unholy halo, countless faces continuously emerged, screamed in agony, and then faded away to be replaced by others in an endless procession of souls.


    Her hands blazed with a sickly multicolored light. I could tell it wasn¡¯t the kaleidoscopic hue of spatial mana. She was forcing all the natural elements together into an unnatural patchwork of spells, firing them one after the other at her opponent.


    This opponent, floating at the same level but several feet away from her, was none other than the General of the Legion of Torment.


    I could tell he was talking, but my ears were nowhere near as good as my eyes, so I couldn¡¯t pick up a word.


    Or could I?


    In a moment of recklessness, I converged my mana on my ears. I had never tried to boost their effectiveness in particular, but I kludged something together using both the strengthening and refining techniques.


    My ears popped. My balance briefly faltered, and I swayed, gripping the balcony railing. Then the noises of the city took on a whole new quality.


    The fire in the street below popped and crackled. The moans of the fading undead reached me, sounding almost like begging now. The hushed words of the recruits elsewhere in the house tried to force their way into my ears.


    And beyond it all, so faint that I almost couldn¡¯t make it out, was the conversation happening far above me.


    ¡°¡­ masterfully. I did not think a human mage, let alone on a world like this one, could achieve such a soul-merging and still remain in control. Others have tried, of course, but they were all driven mad.¡±


    The woman, Reliana Tingent I presumed, screeched in fury. ¡°Die already, invader!¡±


    A spell exploded out of her in a wave. It was a combination of ice, fire, and air, designed to slice apart everything in front of her while simultaneously freezing and burning it.


    The general¡¯s body flickered, and the attack passed through him harmlessly. It hit a floating island instead and absolutely demolished it.


    ¡°Every time I have seen a mortal try something like this, they have fallen into a mindless state of rage,¡± the general continued, unabashed. ¡°Most went on a rampage, determined to destroy everything. Some just kept absorbing souls, draining the entire population of their world into one merged collective.¡±


    More spells homed in on him. More shows of magic beyond what any local should have been able to wield exploded over the city. Still, he remained wholly untouched, speaking as calmly as if he were giving a lecture.


    ¡°The most successful example of soul mergers I ever saw was on a world we initially thought was barren of intelligent life. It took us an embarrassingly long amount of time to realize the locals had willingly merged themselves into one entity. They lived in a shared dream realm, electing individuals who would occasionally manifest as semi-independent projections in reality, in order to maintain the facilities required to sustain their collective¡¯s physical form. Said form was useless, by the way. A pile of flesh cushioning brain matter. Nothing like the elegant solution you came up with.¡±


    The mage screamed in a thousand enraged voices. The sheer mana-infused volume of the sound almost sent me into unconsciousness, but I managed to cling on.


    ¡°That is why I will offer you this final chance,¡± the general declared. ¡°Surrender. I can help you stabilize yourself further. Upon your ascension, you would immediately become one of the most powerful demons under me.¡±


    The mage cackled. ¡°Never. You ruined everything. I was so close to taking over. So close to ruling this world. I could have had EVERYTHING!¡± Her voice rose into a shriek, devolving into mad multitudes again.


    ¡°I see. That is¡­ unfortunate.¡± The general seemed genuinely saddened by the rejection, but he didn¡¯t linger on it for long. ¡°In that case, let this be the end of this mess.¡±


    His body blurred as he leapt forward, too quickly for me to track or for Reliana to react. The next thing I knew, his hand was in her chest.


    Then a wave of mana so thick I couldn¡¯t breathe erupted over the city. Towers shook, bridges snapped, and the few remaining islands collapsed out of the sky as the general¡¯s voice rose in a chant.


    I felt something manifest then. An attention. A will. Some sort of entity beyond my understanding, and it was screaming. Its wail rose in pitch with the general¡¯s voice, then suddenly cut out when an eruption of reality-bending force swept out of Reliana¡¯s chest.


    The woman died, and the force unleashed from her passing painted the sky red. A crack opened far above our heads, revealing a pair of eyes that peered down at the world. They curved into satisfied crescents, and then faded away.


    But the sky did not revert to its natural color. Neither did the demonic mana clear up. Instead, it seeped into the ground, into the air, into the very mana of the world, until it tainted everything.


    I knew then, beyond any doubt, that Berlis was gone. This world belonged to the legion now.


    Another outpost of the Abyss had been born.

 (End of Book 1) Chapter 59: Crumbling Infinity

    The unpleasant smell of burnt, undead flesh felt like it would be a permanent stain on my life by the time the victorious army emerged from deeper within the city.


    They had a vaguely disappointed air about them, which I supposed I could understand. As far as I could tell, the capital city¡¯s entire supply of souls had ended up inside of Reliana. That meant the ¡®brave¡¯ soldiers of the demonic army, hyped as they were to slaughter some mortals and claim souls, were left with nothing to do as their general dueled and tried to recruit the enemy.


    I couldn¡¯t find it in me to pity them, but I did feel thankful as they effortlessly extinguished the burning remains of the dead. With the way clear, I could finally hop off the balcony and join their procession towards the camp. Naturally, Mia joined me, and the rest of the surviving recruits slowly trickled out of the house.


    The demons did nothing to stop us. We got a few odd looks, but that was the extent of it. It was when we made it back into the camp that something unexpected happened.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse" border="1">


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td style="width: 99.043%">


    Alert!


    You have a new Merit added to your service record:


    Berlis Invasion Survivor (Radiant Merit x1)


    </td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    The notification allowed a small part of me to relax, but I was mostly still on edge. It wasn¡¯t like the invasion was really over. I still had to turn over the stuff from the vault to Mercutio and see if he noticed anything. Honestly, I didn¡¯t think I would rest easy until I went through a portal and visited the Abyss for the first time.


    Maybe not even then.


    We were the first group of mortals to make it back to camp. In fact, I strongly suspected we would be the only group to make it back to camp. Even if the assassination attempt from the mutated recruit was a personal threat to me, the fire it started had done a lot to neutralize the undead near us. That, combined with the exceptional abilities of myself and Mia, had saved us from the massacre. The other groups likely weren¡¯t so lucky.


    At least I was treated to an amusing sight when we approached Mercutio¡¯s mobile home. The demon stood in front of it, face carefully blank, as a seething demoness paced next to him. I recognized her immediately as the wyvern rider. She actually stopped pacing and brightened up when she spotted us.


    ¡°Thank the Abyss,¡± she breathed wearily, then grimaced when she got a closer look at our actual numbers. ¡°I thought for sure this idiot had fed his entire allotment of recruits to the undead.¡±


    ¡°I could not have known they would encounter such a threat,¡± Mercutio assured her drolly. The only break in his mask was a small tightening of his eyes when they landed on me. ¡°They should have been perfectly safe.¡±


    ¡°For the last time, risk assessment and deployment are under our purview, not logistics.¡± The demoness whose name I still didn¡¯t know rounded on Mercutio with a hiss before managing to calm herself. ¡°Did we gain anything from this whole disaster, or did you just waste a bunch of lives?¡±


    I chose that moment to step forward, though it wasn¡¯t in an effort to save Mercutio¡¯s hide. ¡°We have completed our assignment,¡± I declared, holding up the dimensional bag for Mercutio to claim.


    He stared at me for a long moment before he accepted it, his eyes suspicious. But, just like I was hoping, he made no move to frisk me or threaten me into giving up anything I might have swiped from the vault. After all, if he tried, I was fairly certain the demoness would object, out of sheer spite if nothing else.


    ¡°Excellent. I commend you on performing your task. I will analyze these samples quickly so we may decide whether this world is worthy of our rule.¡±


    The second half of his little speech was clearly aimed at the demoness, who nodded reluctantly, giving him leave to retreat to his home.


    She stared after Mercutio for a long moment before turning towards us. ¡°Good job. Seriously. Didn¡¯t expect any of you to make it out of that city. Honestly, this whole thing was a mess,¡± she sighed, rubbing a hand over her face. ¡°If the general weren¡¯t here himself, he would have had our collective asses.¡±


    I hesitated to speak, but decided to go for it. She seemed to like us enough, so why not earn some brownie points? ¡°Nothing you could have done. I mean, the general himself was surprised by what happened here, wasn¡¯t he?¡±


    ¡°True.¡± She awarded me a smile and a nod of her head. ¡°Still, waste of time and energy. We only ever invade worlds this weak to test and train up recruits, and, well¡­¡±


    She trailed off, then gestured vaguely at our pitiful numbers. ¡°Granted, you¡¯re probably exceptional for having survived, but the eliminations will hurt our stats this time around. Ugh, at least everyone did poorly. This kingdom controlled the whole planet through magic, so their strategies were implemented worldwide once they figured out ¡®cheap¡¯ teleportation. I can¡¯t believe the number of demons we lost, either. SO much compensation required.¡±


    I smiled in what I hoped was a commiserating manner, and she shook her head, dismissing her thoughts.


    ¡°Anyway, you have a day or two while they make their final ruling on this world. Rest, relax, and get ready for a visit to the Abyss!¡±


    Her voice was cheerful, but I didn¡¯t miss the underlying tone of amusement. The piteous look she shot us also did nothing to quiet my unease.


    For better or worse, though, things were at an end.


    ¡ª


    In the end, a total of four other mortal survivors stumbled out of the city over the next few hours. They all looked worse for wear, and their injuries were heavy. One of them did have a dimensional bag clutched in his hands, though, which entitled him to a cold commendation from Mercutio.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    Not, say, a healing potion, or a couple souls for his trouble. A stiff ¡®Thank you and be on your way now.¡¯ Born for leading people, Mercutio was not.


    At least he probably wouldn¡¯t try to kill you. So long as you weren¡¯t me, of course.


    It might have been foolish or irresponsible, but I didn¡¯t train or push myself in any way while we waited. I took the demoness¡¯s suggestion seriously and decided to rest.


    The only practical thing I did was shuffle some of my valuable possessions into the hidden dimensional bag. I somehow managed to stuff all the mana crystals in there, but that was just about pushing the already strained limits of its size.


    Mia had not claimed her weapon and grimoire yet. While we were safely over the first hurdle of smuggling our ill-gotten gains past Mercutio, we were camped out a very short distance away from his mobile home. If he deigned to venture out among us and spotted her with a brand new enchanted weapon and soul-bound grimoire, I didn¡¯t want to consider what he¡¯d do.


    So, for the first day and a half after the conquest of Berlis, I just lazed about, chatting and sharing meals with Mia. It was¡­ nice. The only thing that troubled me was the fear of another assassination attempt. I was still on high alert around the other recruits, shooting them suspicious glances whenever they got too close.


    Funnily enough, I could no longer bring myself to view Mia with the same suspicion. I had reached out to her originally out of guilt, but somewhere along the way, I genuinely came to trust her. She had more chances than anyone else to slit my throat or just leave me to die before claiming my possessions, but she didn¡¯t. As such, come hell or high water (and we were guaranteed to experience at least one of those), I resolved myself to be a friend and ally she could rely on. I didn¡¯t have a ton of stuff to share, but what I could, I would.


    Then, the second morning after the fall of the capital, the invasion of Berlis officially ended.


    We received no orders, from Mercutio or anyone else, but it was still obvious what was happening. The demons, who had spent the previous day and a half being just as lazy as the two of us, were suddenly moving with purpose and speed. Their camp was disassembled in record time, leaving us recruits to fumble in an attempt to keep up.


    At least we were already awake when the bustle started. I seriously doubt anyone would have thought to wake us up in timely fashion.


    It was a grand affair, the end of the invasion, even if we recruits had to witness it awkwardly from the sidelines. The general strolled out in front of his troops, emanating regal poise, power trailing him like a cape.


    ¡°This invasion was¡­ atypical. What started out as a chance to rest up and claim a salary turned into a scramble to get things over with quickly. However, this is a good reminder: you never know how a world might surprise you.¡±


    His voice rolled over the legion, effortlessly commanding the attention of every soul present.


    ¡°This time, we got complacent, and we paid for it. Genius is not limited by mana affinity or an abundance of resources. One¡¯s mind and soul are the most valuable treasures we possess, and we can achieve great things if we leverage them properly.


    ¡°None of you here will be punished. You did not truly fail me, not like others did. There will be no sanctions or reprimands for what happened. However, I want you to learn from this. Do not let yourselves be so careless again. Next time, I will not be as lenient. Do not let there be a next time.¡±


    He paused. The words sank into my brain even as they lingered in the air, filling mortals and infernals alike with chilling dread.


    Then the general raised his hand.


    ¡°Now, let us go home. There is nothing for us here.¡±


    He ripped open a portal, just like he did at the start of the invasion. Beyond, the sight of a grand street stretched into the distance. Demons lined the edges of it, cheering for their returning army.


    The legion surged forward. They blocked my view as they paraded through the portal. We recruits edged closer, looking for a chance to insert ourselves into the stream of soldiers.


    But before we could join the throng, I heard an odiously familiar throat-clearing behind us. It was with great reluctance that the surviving mortal recruits turned to face our current commanding officer.


    ¡°Excellent, you are all here, and right next to my path home.¡±


    Mercutio¡¯s voice was smug. My nerves clenched when I realized he was backed by a host of knights in full plate armor. I couldn¡¯t see their faces through their helmets, but their stillness as they all stood behind him was unnatural. That, and their ebony armor etched with golden runes, were enough to unnerve me.


    ¡°Your first return to the Abyss after being made a recruit is always special,¡± Mercutio opined, stroking his chin absently. ¡°This is typically reserved for your commander, but it so happens that you are under my command until you find your way back. How¡­ fortuitous, don¡¯t you think? Now, assemble yourselves into proper ranks, and kneel.¡±


    Slowly, hesitantly, we complied. There was nothing we could do to oppose him. My eyes strayed to the departing army only to see the last demons already passing through. The portal beckoned like a promise of safety, yet I knew I wouldn¡¯t make it, even if I made a run for it.


    As we knelt, the knights spread out. They stalked between our rows until every recruit had a knight hovering over their shoulders.


    Every recruit except me.


    A shiver ran down my spine.


    ¡°Good. Good. Now, look up. This isn¡¯t something you get to see very often, even as part of the legion.¡±


    I obeyed, curiosity winning over the need to keep Mercutio in my sights.


    At first, I had no idea what he was referring to. The sky was as corrupted by demonic mana as when the general claimed the world in the name of the Abyss. Then I spotted the lines of magic, slowly branching out over the sky from five separate points.


    I couldn¡¯t hold in my gasp when space itself shattered, revealing swirling red and black chaos beyond. A single hand, so large I couldn¡¯t even estimate its size, was slowly reaching out from beyond the rift.


    The hand was clad in a black gauntlet with red runic accents. Its sharp, metallic claws tore reality apart wherever they passed. As titanic as it seemed at first sight, the hand grew bigger as it drew closer. Swiftly, it blotted out the sky above us.


    Then, as if the hand¡¯s owner had curled their fingers, a sudden tremor rocked the entire world. My insides twisted in response. The hand was squeezing, pulling, and there was no denying its might.


    ¡°Glorious, isn¡¯t it, to see a world claimed? For a worthless piece of land like this one, to be made useful after all.¡± Mercutio looked at our pale, horrified faces, and scoffed. ¡°No matter. You were granted a great privilege, but that¡¯s not why we¡¯re here today. Let us proceed.¡±


    He lifted his hand, and the sound of swords leaving their scabbards rasped all around me. I tried to move, to run, to do anything, but mana erupted out of Mercutio and froze us all in place. I was locked with my eyes on Mia¡¯s, both of us beyond fear and incapable of releasing even a peep.


    Then Mercutio¡¯s hand fell, and I stared blankly as my friend was reduced to ash alongside every other recruit.


    His hold over me vanished, and I collapsed forward onto my hands with a strangled gasp.


    ¡°Shocking, I know,¡± Mercutio laughed, kneeling right next to my panting form. ¡°You just wouldn¡¯t die, would you? Couldn¡¯t do me this one favor?¡± His voice turned into an angry hiss as he gripped my jaw and forced me to look him in the eye. ¡°Parading in front of me with your smirks, and your looks, and that sword you don¡¯t deserve.¡±


    I considered trying to spit in his face, but I just felt¡­ tired. All that struggle, all that killing, all that guilt. For what?


    The pressure of his fingers digging into my face increased, making my skull ache.


    ¡°Well, at least I get this. Remember it. Remember it well. Because it¡¯s nowhere near how much you deserve to suffer.¡±


    He flexed his hand, and my world exploded into pain as his fingers easily dug past skin, flesh, and bone, pulping everything in their way. It was mercifully short. One moment I was wishing I was dead, and the next, with one final shot of pain, I was.


    My soul peeled away as my body dissolved into ash, and I was pulled from the crumbling world, out into a dark infinity.

 (Start of Book 2) Chapter 60: All My Children

    I was floating in a pitiless void, and I was familiar with it.


    This was the place not even my nightmares dared to explore. The one place I never wanted to see again, at any cost, no matter what I had to do.


    And it had claimed me.


    I wanted to scream. To cry and rage and beg or simply tear myself apart if all else failed. It was a far better fate than what awaited me here.


    Worse, I was even more cognizant than the last time around. My soul felt¡­ thicker, more condensed, weightier in a way I couldn¡¯t define. This weight let me cling to my sense of self, as corrupted and twisted as it may be.


    I knew it would only make what was coming all the more painful.


    I tried to prepare myself for the pain, to force my mind to welcome the slow eradication of my sanity, since it meant an end would eventually come. Yet, when I felt that hungry presence loom over me, I still tried to hurl myself away from it, like a pig frantic to escape the butcher.


    It was pointless, of course.


    Just like that pig, I felt bonds close around me, holding me still and pulling me closer. I couldn¡¯t even squeal as the proverbial knife drew near. I could only wait, helpless, for the first blow, the eventual chip against the very essence of my being.


    It never came.


    Amidst my panic and pointless thrashing, for the first time, I felt a glimpse of¡­ warmth.


    It¡¯s an insufficient description for what I felt, yet I have no other word for it.


    It was the warmth of a gentle summer afternoon. The warmth of a cup of hot chocolate, prepared by loving hands and pushed into your own after hours of playing in the snow. The warmth of a comfy bed or bath at the end of a horrible day, when you¡¯re exhausted and resigned and just done. The warmth of a mother gently pulling you into her embrace so she can chase the nightmares away.


    I couldn¡¯t resist it. The pain that would surely follow didn¡¯t matter. Gradually, reluctantly, I surrendered, even as my bonds inexorably dragged me closer to the presence that had once tried to consume me utterly.


    Except, this time, it was no longer so hungry, nor so cruel.


    Oh, even as I sank into it, I knew the hunger was still there. The presence longed to lash out, to consume, urged on by the ravenous void within itself. Yet, none of those vicious desires were directed towards me.


    Instead, it cradled and held me close, secured against all that might try to snatch me away or devour me. It sent waves of soothing emotions into me, driving out all my fear and rage until they were nothing but an unpleasant memory.


    I beheld it, then, in its entirety. A twisted spiral made of countless layers, big and small, complex and simple, linked and severed. A world, a hungry beast, a mother, and so much more. Its beauty startled me into awe. Its base nature shook me to my core.


    And I loved it, because it loved me in turn. Possessively, protectively, with unfailing intensity that filled my being with conviction.


    Not all was well, however.


    For all the bonds the presence had woven around me, there was another harness attached to my core, stretching away into the distance. It was thick and powerful and just as insistent in its claim on me.


    It fought hard to tug me away, to join my soul to itself. But it did so with all the dispassionate arrogance of a bored social worker, trying to wrest a child from the hands of a loving relative because of an estranged parent. A social worker who didn¡¯t give an inch of care about where the child might end up, or what it wanted.


    And yet, the tether¡¯s claim was strong. Strong enough to make me whimper, caught as I was between the two forces.


    My new parent wasn¡¯t going to tolerate the tug-of-war for long, though. More bonds lashed out and secured me more tightly, and then other strands of the presence manifested. These new strands sank into the foreign tether attached to me, piercing, tugging, sawing.


    Pain filled me, threatening to tear me apart from the inside. I panicked. Then, some ineffable sense gave me a perfect view of my current self.


    I was a glass-like figure, shot through with sealed-over cracks, the results of an effort to mesh together pieces that wouldn¡¯t quite fit. In some areas, the cracks had almost entirely faded, as the features of what used to be two people smoothed out into a new whole. Other cracks lingered, prominent and barely holding together. But now, caught between two opposing forces who both sought to claim me, the cracks were spreading. My glass self was splintering.


    What would happen if I shattered?


    I didn¡¯t know. And, for some reason, I didn¡¯t care. All that mattered was the one question pounding through my consciousness:


    If I did shatter, would my new parent still want me?If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    Terror, pure and overwhelming, gripped me like a vise. Instead of scattering, my focus tightened, and I did what had become instinct to me over the last several weeks.


    I lashed out.


    I¡¯m not sure when it appeared in my hand, but suddenly, my sword bit deep into the harness that stretched off into the distance. The first blow made it quiver and spasm. The second increased the strength of the tether¡¯s pull to the point that, in those few moments, I felt like I really would shatter entirely. The third severed the connection, and it snapped, fading beyond my senses.


    I couldn¡¯t pant or sweat, but I still felt waves of fear and exhaustion rolling through me like the tide of an angry sea. Then the attention of that looming presence focused on me fully again, and its love and approval lulled me back into a state of pure bliss.


    This time, there was nothing to mar those feelings. No conflicting claims. No distracting thoughts. In that moment, I experienced perfect contentment. If it decided to devour me then and there, it would have been worth it.


    But it didn¡¯t eat me.


    Instead, a single tether unfurled from the presence I was curled up in. It stabbed gently into my chest. The feeling of warmth and safety redoubled, this time accompanied by a profound sense of belonging that lay claim to me utterly.


    I let it, elation singing in my heart.


    Faintly, through a haze, I was somewhat aware of a voice whispering to me.


    Connection forged.


    Permission to proceed with ascension granted.


    I didn¡¯t care about the words. I cared only for the presence, its warmth and its approval. I wished to stay there forever, content, safe from the universe and its demands. Free from panic. Free from despair. Free from the constant drive to be better, to become more, just so I might live.


    The euphoric sensations intensified, winding tighter around me as the Presence spoke directly into my mind.


    Welcome, my child. You are now my own. My flesh, my blood, my soul, my will.


    Then a blemish appeared in my world of bliss.


    A pouch was hanging from my hip, a simple drawstring purse that I knew contained souls. It annoyed me. I didn¡¯t need an object that would separate even an inch of me from the presence. The sword was irritating enough, even if it had helped me. Two more items appeared, slowly, almost hesitantly. Another pouch, then a fancy book whose covers glowed with an inner light.


    My frustration briefly surged, then it was banished by the soothing attention of the presence.


    The items were heavy. They tugged on me, trying to drag me away from the loving embrace. The purse, in particular, felt like a rock tied around my waist. It was pulling me, causing me to sink lower and lower, away from the place I wished to rest.


    I fought it, but I found no purchase as I scrambled. There was nothing for me to grab or cling to. Even worse, the presence no longer held me. Ever so slowly, its bonds unfurled, letting my gradual fall continue.


    Bitter remorse shot through my being. If I could have wept, I would have. What had I done wrong? Why was I being sent away?


    The further I fell, the heavier I became. Energy unlike any I had ever felt or wielded before swirled around me, seeping into my translucent form and giving me substance.


    It started from my fingertips. At first, it looked like little flakes of ash had somehow manifested there. Then the flakes clumped together, whitening and forming into skin. Flesh, blood, and bone followed, slowly transforming my ill-defined proportions into a real body.


    A body that dragged me down, pulling me away from the one place I felt I truly belonged.


    I regained my ability to cry, and tears unabashedly streamed down my cheeks. My mouth was open in a soundless wail that slowly became audible as my lungs formed. My heart, my core, were the last to form, almost simultaneously. Then mana was coursing through my veins, sealing my fate.


    My back slammed against something cold and hard, followed almost instantly by my limbs. I barely noticed. I was too caught up in the agony of existing, too angry at my pathetic body that tied me down to life and all its suffering.


    Not even the discomfort that speared through me a moment later could snap me out of it. The sensation of overwhelming heat and unbearable cold all at once, of every minor ache being amplified several times over, tugged at something in the back of my mind, but I dismissed it out of hand.


    All my attention was fixed on the fading impressions of that perfect moment of existence, and the faint red glow far above me. It reminded me of the Presence, of its benevolence and love, and only made me more miserable.


    Gradually, I became aware of the familiar discomfort, along with other sensations. I caught snippets of voices, of sounds I couldn¡¯t interpret in my dazed state. I made no effort to understand or react, content to be lost to the world as I was.


    Maybe someone is going to kill me, or maybe I¡¯ll just die of the cold, or heat. Then I would get to go back¡­


    Disapproval surged in my chest, jerking me away from the idle thoughts. Though the emotion was foreign, I could recognize its source. It came from a tether connected to the center of my being, tying me to the Presence I so longed for. The message was clear: if I tried to get back through self-neglect or self-harm, the Presence would not be pleased.


    But I would be there again.


    Hope bloomed in me, and for the first time, I tried to move my limbs.


    They were a twitching, uncooperative mess, and I only barely managed to push myself onto my side. As I blinked my eyes rapidly to get rid of the tears, the world started to resolve itself into more than just vague blurs.


    The first thing I saw was red stone, cut into precise squares and adorned with fanciful demonic engravings.


    Then I saw the people.


    Just like me, they lay collapsed face-down on the ground. They were barely sensate and utterly naked. I recognized plenty of them, on account of the fact that I¡¯d had a front-row seat when Mercutio decided to shorten them all by a head.


    An unpleasant jolt of worry snaked through me.


    I groaned and tried to move, blushing furiously at the sight of my own naked body. Apparently, I was not an exception to the general state of undress. Twitching my limbs more insistently, I struggled to recover my control over them as quickly as I could.


    The sudden sound of confident footsteps added fear to my embarrassment. None of us currently lying about seemed capable of recovering so quickly from our apparent resurrections, so whoever was approaching was probably not a recruit.


    Then I thought of the mutated individual who had tried to kill me, most likely on Mercutio¡¯s orders. He was probably up and running by now. Recruits could be a threat too.


    As was typical of my luck, I wasn¡¯t even close to forcing my body into submission when the steps paused just a short distance away from me.


    ¡°You look like a mess, kid,¡± drawled a familiar voice. ¡°Need some help?¡±


    Exerting all my strength, I managed to push myself onto my back so I could look up at the speaker.


    There, standing in all his pinkish glory, was Bronwynn.


    I didn¡¯t expect the flood of emotions that surged through me. Regret over not being able to warn him in time. Sorrow at losing him. Profound gratitude for helping me, for giving me the information I needed, for healing my arms when he didn¡¯t have to¡­


    So potent was the cocktail, it even banished the lingering cobwebs of my experience in the void, at least for a while.


    In the end, I could only squeak out two words in response.


    ¡°Yes, please.¡±

 Chapter 61: A Helping Hand

    Bronwynn offered me his hand, and I successfully took it in only two attempts. The first time, my arm twitched and shot up, but fell short. The second time, I managed a relatively firm grip, even if that was mostly down to my muscles seizing up and clamping around Bronwynn¡¯s fingers.


    I was glad he was a demon because I probably would have crushed his bones otherwise.


    Getting pulled to my feet was an experience. I was trembling like a leaf, though I quickly discovered that cycling my mana through the strengthening technique actually did help. It sped up whatever process I was going through, making the new body I was inhabiting start to feel like my own.


    And isn¡¯t that a fun thought?


    This wasn¡¯t the body I had been shunted into when I joined the legion. Sure, it looked exactly the same, but the original ¡®Hayden Hall¡¯ was now a pile of ashes on some crumbling piece of rock in the middle of space. That body, along with the entire world of Berlis, was gone. Probably for good.


    So¡­ I¡¯m not a body-snatcher anymore?


    Yay?


    I was far from feeling secure in this new ¡®clone¡¯ body, however. Even with the mana coursing through me, I still felt terrifyingly weak. At least I wasn¡¯t the only one. All the recruits I could see around me were in as rough shape as I was, if not worse.


    Looking at the other recruits broke my contemplative mood. The sight of them reminded me that I, too, was in the middle of some strange demonic city square, wearing nothing but my birthday suit.


    I flushed scarlet again, but Bronwynn just huffed, rolled his eyes, and thrust a black piece of clothing into my chest. I hadn¡¯t noticed it before, but he had a whole stack of garments thrown carelessly over his other hand.


    The clothing turned out to be a robe, long and flowing and not at all comfortable. In fact, putting it on reintroduced the horrible scratching sensation I had experienced when I was inducted into the legion. I was briefly tempted to throw it off.


    I didn¡¯t, of course. My dignity, or what remained of it, was worth the discomfort.


    ¡°Why does everything feel so horrible here?¡± I grumbled.


    ¡°Because you¡¯re in the circle of torment, kid. Did you expect it to feel like a thousand succubi caressing you or something?¡± snarked the demon, making me roll my eyes at the imagery. ¡°You want shit like that, go to Ecstasy or Lust or what have you. Just know that most recruits who go there never make it back.¡±


    Shelving that little tidbit away, I dared another glance around me. Everywhere I looked, naked recruits lay on the ground. Some twitched. Others moaned. A small group of demons were making their way through the ranks, carelessly throwing robes over the prone mortals.


    I was trying to decide which vital question to ask Bronwynn next when my restless eyes finally landed on a familiar figure.


    I tried to lunge forward and almost took a tumble. Would have, if Bronwynn hadn¡¯t gripped the back of my horribly uncomfortable robe with a sigh.


    ¡°What is it now?¡±


    ¡°Mia. That¡¯s Mia,¡± I whispered, eyes wide with a desperate sort of hope. I had been so out of it at first, and then resolute in ignoring the pain that stabbed through my chest at the thought of her, but I realized I was an idiot. If I was there, and so many others were there, then of course she was there as well. Wouldn¡¯t make sense if we all got resurrected and she was left to rot as a snack in the void¡­


    That last idea did all sorts of weird things to my brain. My feelings were caught up in such an unforgiving duality about that experience that my mind glitched, like my body needed another full post-resurrection reset.


    I shook my head.


    Important stuff now. Existential panic and dread later.


    An amused Bronwynn let me tug him along, making no fuss as I snatched a robe away from him and laid it gently over the twitching cat lady.


    Her eyes were still closed, moving wildly behind her eyelids. I wasn¡¯t sure whether I should wake her up or not. Thankfully, with my smarts somewhat recovered, I had enough presence of mind to turn to Bronwynn for advice.


    ¡°Can I help her somehow? Is it safe to wake her up?¡±


    He scoffed, but the sound was somehow friendly rather than derisive. ¡°Yes, you can. What you experienced¡­ it stopped before your body formed. Not sure how your brain interpreted it all, since it can be difficult for mortal minds to go through something like that, but your friend¡¯s fully there in her flesh.¡±


    I ignored the emphasis he gave the word ¡®friend,¡¯ along with the teasing lilt on the word ¡®flesh.¡¯ I was a ton of things, probably a war criminal at that point, but I wasn¡¯t about to ogle a woman having a weird seizure while her soul and body re-synced.


    Still, with that question answered, I couldn¡¯t hold back a flare of anger.


    ¡°Yeah, about that. What in the world happened? He¡­ he killed us. Executed us.¡± I shuddered. The memory of fingers slipping effortlessly through my face would definitely feature in my future nightmares. ¡°How are we still alive? Or¡­ alive again? We¡¯re not demons.¡±A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    Bronwynn sighed. He bought some time for himself by throwing robes over the surrounding recruits. Even with all that was happening, without and within, I couldn¡¯t help noticing the bored, detached manner with which he regarded their bodies.


    ¡°Although the legion accepts a large number of mortals with each recruitment intake, not all of them are born with what it takes to be a soldier. Even with training, plenty of them panic, refuse to kill, or just let themselves die. Sometimes for moral reasons, sometimes out of spite.¡±


    The demon shrugged as he turned to look at me, his face carefully blank. I stayed silent and waited for him to get on with it.


    ¡°So, there are¡­ tests, rankings, and evaluations. Every recruit that makes it to the end of their first invasion receives a merit, as you might know. As a guarantee of their ability, it¡¯s a sign that the legion should take them more seriously than the other recruits, and allocate appropriate training and resources for their advancement.¡±


    ¡°And the dying? The execution?¡± I pressed bitterly, though I already had a sense of where this was going.


    ¡°It sounds like the process wasn¡¯t handled properly.¡± Bronwynn winced, the first sign of his mask cracking. ¡°But it was necessary, since it links your soul fully to the Abyss. It is strongly discouraged to share this fact with recruits, Hayden, but here it is. You belong to the Abyss. That was true ever since your induction. Whenever you die, you don¡¯t get to have a peaceful trip to the afterlife. You will continue to come back, like we do, until you fail to pay your resurrection toll, or you¡¯re slain here. Then, well¡­ you¡¯ll nourish the Abyss in a different way.¡±


    I shuddered, well and truly, from the top of my head to the bottom of my soles. I didn¡¯t need my imagination to know what ¡®nourishing the Abyss¡¯ meant.


    But I had no idea what to think about the rest of it. Why hadn¡¯t the legion told us that we would now resurrect, like demons? That seemed like a pretty important detail to omit.


    Then again, I guess it made sense. How would mortal recruits act, if they knew death was now just an inconvenience? A financial inconvenience, if I understood Bronwynn right, but a mere inconvenience nonetheless. Would they fight as ferociously? Would they sink to the same lows?


    Would I have?


    A part of me wanted to say that no, I wouldn¡¯t have been so desperate and set on murder. Another part of me laughed and called me a liar.


    I told both of them to shut up, and refocused on the present.


    ¡°But then why¡­¡± I trailed off, unsure of whether I wanted to voice my suspicions.


    ¡°Why what?¡±


    I looked at Bronwynn, at his regretful and sincere expression, and didn¡¯t know what to say. I wanted to ask why Mercutio had been so determined to kill me before the end of the invasion, when he knew I would just come back anyway. But how could I casually form a question about that? Glaustro¡¯s letter had made it clear that Mercutio was a powerful demon. The wrong words, even to Bronwynn, could be dangerous.


    Thankfully, I was spared the need to respond when I heard Mia moan in pain. I knelt next to her immediately, my hand pausing halfway to her face. Then her eyes fluttered open and landed on mine, and I forgot my hesitation.


    ¡°Mia? Hey, you¡¯re alright. We¡¯re both alright,¡± I whispered gently, unable to resist the urge to boop her nose before slowly helping her into a sitting position. Her face scrunched up in a rather adorable manner.


    ¡°Wuh-wat happened?¡± she managed to stutter.


    She didn¡¯t help me with the maneuvering, but she wasn¡¯t fighting me, either. Honestly, she was regaining lucidity faster than I had. And though her body was twitching all over, she was still able to hold on to the robe, keeping it in place.


    ¡°We¡¯re back in the Abyss,¡± I said calmly. Her eyes squinted at me in a way that meant she was displeased, and I rushed to clarify. ¡°Apparently, we resurrect the way demons do now. Although, uh¡­ you may want to get dressed?¡±


    She tilted her head, blinking at me. Then her eyes drifted over our surroundings. A blush fought its way across her cheeks and down her neck as she squeaked in indignation.


    I rushed to my feet and turned away, ignoring the sounds of cloth shuffling behind me. Bronwynn was watching us both with a smug smirk that made me want to¡­ well, not punch him, but maybe be mean.


    That was, of course, precluded by him being a demon who could vaporize me, for real this time. And, you know, the fact that I still carried a ton of guilt over his death in Berlis.


    The memory finally made the words leave my mouth.


    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, Bronwynn.¡±


    I was whispering, but he still heard and shot me a confused look.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t catch on fast enough,¡± I explained. ¡°I warned Glaustro about the trap, but by that time¡­ and you were trying to help me, and I¡­¡±


    He looked startled, but then he sighed, giving me an odd look I couldn¡¯t decipher. ¡°Hayden, it¡¯s not your fault. We didn¡¯t notice. None of us did. And we should have, because from what I heard, that enchantment was still leaking mana, no matter how minute. We just thought spatial mana was lingering in the area because of the barrier, and we paid for it. Do you understand?¡±


    His eyes were intense. Intense enough to make me nod, however reluctantly. ¡°Sure.¡±


    Though he clearly didn¡¯t believe me, he just shook his head. ¡°And that reminds me, how are you managing your ascension? You didn¡¯t put more souls into it, did you? Because that would be stupid.¡±


    ¡°No, no, I didn¡¯t, all my souls are right¡­ here¡­¡± I trailed off, reaching for the purse that was always attached to my waist.


    There was nothing there.


    No purse. No sword. No grimoire or stolen dimensional bag.


    I spun on the spot, unable to fight off the rising panic, trying to remember where I had woken up from before rushing over to Mia.


    ¡°Hayden? Hayden!¡± Bronwynn snapped, grabbing my shoulders. ¡°Relax. Is this about your weapon and purse? They¡¯re soul-bound, you idiot. Just focus on them, imagine them, will them to your side.¡±


    I didn¡¯t understand what he wanted from me. I tried anyway, but my thoughts were buzzing, scattered, frantic. The panic only grew when my attempt failed. It was only when he gave my shoulders a rough shake that I thought seriously about his instructions.


    I focused on my items. I tried to feel the bonds I knew I had with them. Slowly, I calmed down enough to imagine each item in detail.


    That was when something snapped into place.


    I was always aware of the items on some level. They were a presence at my side, as reassuring as a background noise. Now, I felt every facet of each unique link, and I called out through them.


    Unfortunately, I yoinked on all the links at once.


    Four items materialized in front of me out of thin air, and I had barely a second to catch them before they started to fall. I chose to go for the sword and the book. It was a good thing the sword came with its own sheath, because I absolutely would have cut myself up as I hugged both items to my chest. My purse and bag fell to the ground, limp but unharmed.


    I let out a long sigh of relief.


    ¡°That¡¯s neat.¡± Mia¡¯s voice was right beside me, and I turned to look at the fully clothed cat lady. ¡°Now, tell me how to do it myself because my purse is missing.¡±


    I blinked. I thought I had simply left my stuff on the ground where I woke up. If that wasn¡¯t the case, then where was it all before I called to it?


    Still pondering, I bent down to pick up my purse.


    I froze.


    A shot of worry and frustration coursed through me. The purse was far lighter than it was supposed to be.


    Shuffling my sword and grimoire into one arm, I managed to push my hand into my purse, feeling out the pitiful number of souls inside. My feelings must have shown on my face because both Mia and Bronwynn looked worried about me.


    I stared at the demon, about ready to cry.


    ¡°Where did most of my souls go?¡±

 Chapter 62: Trust

    Bronwynn looked like he really, really wanted to laugh at me. He didn¡¯t, which made my esteem for the demon go up several notches.


    ¡°Hayden, I¡¯m sure you remember what happens to recruits when they die, right?¡± he asked patiently, like he was talking to a child. That tone of voice might or might not have been why I consciously stopped myself from pouting.


    ¡°Of course, I remember. They turn to ash and they leave behind some¡­ souls¡­¡±


    I grimaced.


    ¡°Exactly, kid. You are, unfortunately, a mortal. Your soul isn¡¯t meant to survive the death of your body. As such, your soul purse is designed to absorb the damage that death would otherwise cause your soul. But that messes with the other enchantments on it, so something like forty percent of your souls are lost every time you die.¡±


    ¡°Forty percent?¡± I asked, just to be sure.


    ¡°Yes. A few percent more or less, depending on the kind of death you suffer. Don¡¯t worry, the issue goes away when you become a demon. At that point, your soul will be robust enough to eat the damage on its own. Well, you¡¯ll still lose some souls to the Abyss, for the cost of reforming your body, but that¡¯s better than truly dying.¡±


    Things were still not computing, though. I was familiar with the weird enchantments on my soul purse, even if I didn¡¯t understand them. One of the more useful features gave me information about my purse¡¯s contents every time I dipped my fingers into it. At that moment, my purse was insisting that I had a grand total of 115 souls.


    I had ended the invasion with 357.


    ¡°I lost a lot more than just forty percent.¡± I scowled at the floor, like it would spit out my souls if I just intimidated it enough.


    ¡°Really?¡± Bronwynn frowned. ¡°How many did you have? And how many are you left with?¡±


    I told him, and his frown deepened. ¡°That doesn¡¯t make sense. You¡¯re a recruit. The cost of resurrection for you should be a measly ten souls. How did you say you died again?¡±


    ¡°I think they cut off our heads.¡± Mia smiled as she eyed her own soul purse, which she had managed to materialize while we were talking. ¡°And my soul count is correct, according to what you just told us.¡±


    Once again, I started to explain what happened with Mercutio, then paused. A sword to the neck shouldn¡¯t have been all that different from claws to the face, as far as deaths go.


    ¡°What exactly makes the percentages vary?¡± I asked instead.


    Bronwynn eyed me, clearly sensing something was wrong. He could probably read my roiling emotions, but he shrugged it off.


    ¡°Mostly? If you¡¯re killed in a certain magical way. Spells designed to harm the soul will always incur a higher loss. I think I also heard something about mind spells costing more to come back from? Those can also leave some nasty side effects, but the Abyss clears most of those when putting us back together.¡±


    I thought back to my death. I really couldn¡¯t remember a single moment when it looked like Mercutio was casting a spell. ¡°And the difference should be a percent or two at most anyway, right?¡± I pushed again.


    ¡°Correct. The biggest deviations I¡¯ve heard of are five percent.¡±


    ¡°Then it still doesn¡¯t make sense,¡± I concluded, frowning. ¡°No matter how I died, it shouldn¡¯t have made this much of a difference. This is more like sixty percent of my souls, just¡­ gone.¡±


    ¡°Well, maybe we can go ask someone wiser. I¡¯m here to collect you, anyway,¡± Bronwynn declared. His smile definitely hinted this was good news, but that didn¡¯t mean I wasn¡¯t confused.


    ¡°I thought you were here to distribute those robes?¡± I asked.


    The innocent question made the demon scowl, and he promptly dumped all the robes on top of a recruit who was still squirming on the ground. Most of them landed on the recruit¡¯s chest, but one robe landed right on his face.


    ¡°There, robes distributed. They stuck me with those when they saw me waiting. Not my job. Now, let¡¯s go.¡±


    I considered doing something about the poor recruit¡¯s state, but when Bronwynn started walking away briskly, I decided to follow.


    It¡¯s not like he¡¯s gonna suffocate or something from that single robe. Probably.


    Remembering to snatch up my dimensional bag, I fell in step with the demon. ¡°Where are we going?¡±


    ¡°Sergeant Glaustro wanted to meet you.¡± Bronwynn glanced at Mia, who had appeared on the other side of me with the grace and stealth of a ghost. ¡°I suppose your friend can come too. I think I remember her being part of our unit, and she did make it to the end.¡±


    I shot Mia a grin and was glad to see her return it. No point in either of us lingering morbidly over our recent death.


    As we walked, I looked around the massive square. I was surprised at how many recruits I saw scattered around. I also didn¡¯t recognize most of them, not even vaguely.


    ¡°Where did all these people come from?¡± I asked idly. ¡°Do so many recruits really die all the time?¡±


    Bronwynn¡¯s answer was a genuinely amused laugh. ¡°Come now. You didn¡¯t think yours was the only group of recruits on the entire planet, right? The rest were hit pretty badly, what with all the nonsense that happened, but everyone you see here made it all the way to the end of the invasion.¡±


    Well, then. In that case¡­


    ¡°So, everyone who made it to the end resurrected here? What about people who died before then? What happens to those recruits now?¡±


    ¡°They were funneled to other resurrection points, depending on how long they survived and how well they performed,¡± Bronwynn explained. ¡°Most of them who died early on will be delegated to roles in logistics or something similar. Some who died later on or who showed promise might be offered a chance to work their way up to a combat role. Honestly, you¡¯re lucky. Both because you¡¯re in this legion, and because you made it all the way to the end.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s that big a difference in treatment?¡± I asked, forcing my tone to stay light and casual.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    ¡°Of course. I transferred in, remember? And it took me a while to scrape together enough souls to do it. In the Legion of Torment, top recruits like yourselves get a monthly stipend of souls. You¡¯re pretty much guaranteed to become a demon. Unless you die somehow, of course. So, try not to do that.¡±


    The order was delivered in a stern tone that made me smile, but it did little to tamp down the churning in my gut.


    Most of those who die early on get sent to logistics.


    Well, now, who do I know that came from there and made my life a whole lot harder than it had to be?


    Mercutio¡¯s stupid face bubbled up to the surface of my mind, and I balled my hands into fists, clenching and unclenching them angrily.


    The demon had shown up one day, snatched the recruits away from our proper commander, Glaustro, and then proceeded to make us miserable. As if claiming all our hard-earned souls in the name of ¡®research¡¯ wasn¡¯t enough, he had also made multiple attempts on my life.


    Well, I was pretty sure it was him. Problem was, I had no real proof. Stories about a traitorous fellow recruit and a few possessed, mysteriously superpowered locals weren¡¯t exactly sufficient evidence. If I tried to level an accusation against Mercutio, would anyone listen? Or would they discount the whole thing as a lowly mortal¡¯s paranoid resentment?


    The thought was eating me up from the inside, and I had no idea what to do about it. Worse still, Bronwynn¡¯s information confirmed I was in more danger now than ever before. Within the Abyss, I was as killable as I assumed I was back on Berlis.


    It was nice to learn that I would just poof back here if I got killed on some other plane, during some future invasion. But if someone shanked me in an alley here, in my nominal home world¡­ there was no resurrection from that.


    ¡°Everything okay, kid?¡± Bronwynn asked quietly.


    I shoved my feelings down as deep as I could. I knew he would probably still feel them, being a demon and all, but maybe I could work on making them less obvious.


    After all, bottling up important emotions was a time-honored tradition in both the mortal and infernal realms.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, thanks. Where is the commander waiting for us, anyway?¡±


    ¡°Just down the street from this plaza.¡± Like the swell guy he was, Bronwynn went along with my blatant change of subject. ¡°There are plenty of inns and caf¨¦s and the like around here. He¡¯s waiting for us at Gates of Torment. I think you¡¯ll like the place.¡±


    The name of the establishment didn¡¯t do much to inspire confidence in me, but I chose to trust Bronwynn. He had given me plenty of reasons to.


    Sure enough, Gates of Torment turned out to be a very posh little restaurant. The decoration was understated, with soft colors, wooden paneling, and plush seats surrounding circular tables of various sizes. Private booths lined the walls, filled with customers engaged in quiet conversation.


    More importantly, the second we set foot inside, the sensation of constant discomfort faded away. Until it was gone, I hadn¡¯t realized just how much I was suffering. I had to catch myself to stay alert as relief flooded my system, leaving me strangely exhausted.


    I didn¡¯t let myself pass out on my feet, though. Instead, I hurried to catch up to Bronwynn, a dazed Mia right by my side. A glance at her face told me I wasn¡¯t the only one who suddenly felt much better.


    ¡°Ah, here they are!¡±


    Glaustro¡¯s voice boomed across the restaurant as he greeted us with a stunning smile. It really was unfair how much the kind expression improved the demon¡¯s appearance. All the sharp lines of his face melted away, transforming the harsh visage into something undeniably handsome.


    A shame, then, that the good sergeant spent most of his time glaring at the world like it owed him money.


    As we approached his small table, I snuck a glance at the unexpected addition to the meeting. Sergeant Graighast, my commander¡¯s brother, was there as well. Apparently, the events of Berlis¡¯ invasion had helped to mend the brothers¡¯ strained relationship.


    I bowed low to Glaustro. ¡°It¡¯s an honor to meet you again, commander.¡±


    I really meant it. Sure, my relationship with the man had started off on rocky ground. Hard not to dislike someone at least a little when they begin the acquaintance by berating you for your mortality and general uselessness. But once I proved myself, the sergeant had mellowed out significantly.


    He even tried to protect us from Mercutio, I think. At the very least, when Mercutio stole all the mortal recruits, Glaustro was the only commander who actually bothered to show up and explain to us what was happening.


    Glaustro laughed as I rose from my bow.


    ¡°No need for that. Not yet. Truth be told, I am not currently your commander,¡± the demon confessed. ¡°That¡¯s why I wanted to talk to you. With your first invasion over, you can now take up a permanent post under a commander. I came here to invite you into my troop. At this point, your ascension is guaranteed, and from what I saw of you, I would be honored if you chose to serve under me.¡±


    I managed to stop most of the shock from showing on my face, though the demons could probably sense it anyway.


    ¡°I would be honored to accept, commander.¡±


    Rough start or not, I had served under the man before, and I knew I could trust him.


    ¡°I would like to apply to join your troop as well, if you¡¯ll have me, commander,¡± Mia said quietly.


    The woman was much braver than I expected. But Glaustro seemed to approve of her boldness, if his small smile was any indication.


    ¡°And I would be happy to have you. You seem to have started down the same path as Hayden. Your mana core is not large, but it is impressive for a fresh recruit.¡±


    Graighast scoffed, though with a teasing smile. ¡°Typical. You get not one, but two promising recruits from a single recruitment pitch. You¡¯ve had quite the luck lately, brother.¡±


    For just a moment, something dark passed over my commander¡¯s face. Then he relaxed and shot Graighast a tentative smile. ¡°So it seems. Now, I¡¯ll send for a notary, and have him fetch your belongings, too. It would be a waste of time to go to their office just to finalize your transfer to my unit when we could have some excellent food instead.¡±


    He waved his hand carelessly towards the restaurant¡¯s entrance, where I noticed a demon nod and duck outside.


    ¡°Fetch our belongings?¡± I repeated.


    ¡°Well, yes. You made it to the end of the invasion.¡± Graighast sounded confused. ¡°Your death was a necessity, but you¡¯ll have all your belongings returned to you. Did the person in charge of your passing not inform you of this?¡±


    ¡°Not¡­ exactly,¡± I hedged, resentment flaring within me again.


    Mercutio had done no such thing. He rounded us up, taunted us, then summarily had us executed.


    But this news brightened my mood considerably. With my death, I thought I had lost one of the few possessions I genuinely cherished.


    My armor was a marvel. It was more of a gift than a purchase, handmade by the daughter of a renowned demoness armorer. Yules was her mother¡¯s apprentice, and though she wasn¡¯t yet skilled enough to display her work in the shop, she had done an amazing job with my armor. On numerous occasions, it had been the difference between a life-threatening wound and just a painful scratch. I loved it to bits and had taken great care to keep it in pristine condition.


    Knowing I would get to see it again was a relief I wasn¡¯t prepared for. The roiling bitterness inside me settled down to a simmer, and when I was offered a seat, I sank into it much more comfortably.


    The atmosphere relaxed significantly after that. Glaustro and his brother led the conversation towards some of the worlds and wonders they had seen, and while I knew they had only visited these places to kill and pillage and steal souls, it was hard not to appreciate their stories.


    Eventually, a squirrel-looking demon walked into the restaurant, followed by the soldier Glaustro had sent out. The demon looked nervous as he approached us, the olive-green skin of his face shifting to an unhealthy gray when he spotted the two commanders.


    ¡°Ah, you requested my presence, officers?¡± he asked tentatively, eyes skipping between them.


    Glaustro nodded. ¡°Correct. You will help my two new recruits sign up properly under my leadership. Tybalt, you have their belongings, correct?¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡± The soldier hefted the two wooden crates he was carrying.


    He checked the names, looked at us blankly, and then just proffered both crates to me. Amused, I snatched the top crate, spotted Mia¡¯s name, and handed it off.


    Scooting my empty plate aside, I eagerly placed my crate on the table. I cast my Cleansing spell over the entire thing a couple times just to be safe. I did die in this stuff, after all. Then I started digging through the crate. When my fingers closed around leather, I gave a little noise of happiness as I pulled out the marvelous armor.


    That happiness quickly died.


    Yules¡¯s work of art and craftsmanship was in ruins. Gouges were carved straight through the plate meant to guard my chest and back. Other metallic bits were partially melted off. It looked like someone had taken a knife to every inch of leather, leaving it in ribbons.


    At first, all I could do was stare. Then a strangled sentence escaped my mouth.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to kill him.¡±

 Chapter 63: The General

    Funny how you can give up on something, or at least convince yourself you¡¯ve given up. But if someone dangles that same thing in front of you, only to snatch it away¡­ Well, perhaps there are people out there who can remain unmoved.


    I wasn¡¯t one of them.


    My hands tightened on the leather. Without meaning to, I sent mana surging through my muscles, lending me enough strength to tear straight through what was left of my poor armor. I stared blankly at the plate as it clattered to the ground, heedless of the odd looks we were getting from other patrons.


    For that matter, I didn¡¯t pay attention to the odd looks of my companions.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to kill him,¡± I repeated.


    I wasn¡¯t sure who I was addressing. But as rage unlike anything I had ever experienced washed through me, I was absolutely sure I meant to follow through on my promise.


    In fact, I rose from my seat then and there, ready to charge out of the restaurant and scour the city for Mercutio. It didn¡¯t matter that he would rip me apart, and happily at that. I just wanted to try. To see if the poor mortal he had decided to toy with could leave a mark on that stupid smug face of his.


    Luckily, as I stood, a hand closed around my wrist. I eyed it with great displeasure, then followed the person¡¯s arm up to their eyes. Mia was staring at me. Her face was full of such confusion and worry that the rage inside me softened for a moment.


    Only for a moment, though.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to kill him,¡± I said for the third time, this time definitely addressing her.


    ¡°While I¡¯m not one to discourage murder, especially when motivated by vengeance, perhaps you would care to share who and why?¡± Graighast ventured, before his brother could.


    I didn¡¯t hesitate. Not this time. I had been able to talk myself into overlooking everything. I had reasoned that there was little hard evidence to support my claims. But with my mutilated armor on the ground, and this anger burning me from the inside?


    I was more than willing to share.


    So, I told them. I told them everything. About the stupid power games, the abuse of the brand, the hatred I saw in Mercutio¡¯s face, his comments and taunts, and all the times I was convinced he had tried to kill me.


    I wrapped up the story with my armor. The savaged, ruined armor I now stared at with regret as I gingerly lifted it off the floor. Losing my temper was one thing. Destroying a prized possession even further was quite another.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what to do,¡± I finally admitted, my voice ragged with desperation.


    Talking everything through didn¡¯t diminish my anger. If anything, it stoked it higher. But it also forced me to remember how helpless I was in the face of a high-ranking demon. My personal strength, my influence, my lineage: none of them matched up to Mercutio¡¯s.


    Well¡­ except maybe that last one.


    Amidst all his faults, the thing I hated most about the demon was that his despicable face was nearly identical to my own. If we stood side by side, you would easily mistake us for brothers. Or a father and son, perhaps, though I violently rejected the notion of both connections.


    We couldn¡¯t be related. We simply couldn¡¯t be. The demon was as posh and elitist as anyone I knew, and I didn¡¯t have a drop of demonic blood in me. My mother may have ascended and earned a soul blade before she died, leaving the weapon as my only legacy of her, but I had been born when she was still a human.


    Mercutio, meanwhile, acted like he was demonic royalty.


    ¡°This is¡­ troubling.¡± To my surprise, Graighast¡¯s face was pinched in consternation. ¡°If even half of what you said is true, then this man actively tried to cripple not just your advancement, but an entire group of recruits. That is not something that can be casually allowed.¡±


    I frowned. ¡°Really? Why? I remember our first battle, and right after it. A recruit got killed just for flirting with a demoness.¡±


    ¡°Because the longer a recruit survives, the more valuable they become,¡± Graighast replied. ¡°Think, was there anyone casually murdering recruits towards the end? Or sending mortals into reckless battles?¡± He gave me an apologetic look. ¡°Besides this Mercutio, I mean.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ no.¡± It didn¡¯t feel nice to admit that, for some reason. I didn¡¯t want a lesson. I wanted to smash in a stupid, gray-skinned demon¡¯s face.


    ¡°Exactly. This kind of idiotic shit isn¡¯t allowed,¡± Glaustro snarled, his eyes narrowed on the ruined armor. ¡°Thankfully, that means we can do something about it.¡± The determination in his voice drew a questioning quirk of the eyebrow from his brother, but Glaustro ignored it. ¡°Go through your stuff and find something to wear. Then we have a plea to make. I trust you haven¡¯t used any of your merits?¡±


    That question was directed towards me. Confused, I responded with a question of my own. ¡°You can use those?¡±


    ¡°Ah, right, I forgot. You are way too fresh¡­¡± Glaustro shook his head. ¡°Yes, you can use them, and you might have to. The only one who can really help us is the general, but how cooperative he will be depends entirely on his own discretion. He might, however, be swayed by merits,¡± the demon explained. ¡°Don¡¯t expect miracles, but I suspect he¡¯ll at least ensure that you aren¡¯t assassinated in your sleep some time down the line.¡±


    I wanted to grit my teeth at that, but it wasn¡¯t like I didn¡¯t know my place. So, I nodded my head and rifled through my belongings, as directed.


    Frankly, it was a pitiful pile of stuff. Almost everything, not just the armor, was also shredded to bits. The only intact items I found were a faded shirt, a pair of underwear, and pants. I didn¡¯t even have shoes to wear, seeing as the pair that belonged to my armor set was both meticulously ruined and covered with stains I didn¡¯t even want to try to identify.If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    It hurt seeing all the damage done to the armor, but I still searched through the whole set for anything I could salvage. The best I came up with was the belt. Though most of the pouches and paraphernalia had been torn off, it was still serviceable.


    I headed for the restaurant¡¯s bathroom and changed there. This was a slightly awkward experience, since demons were apparently big fans of unisex facilities, but I managed, as did Mia. All her stuff hadn¡¯t been ravaged by an insane demon, so her gear was good to go. Of course, it was still composed of disjointed pieces she had scavenged from the battlefield, and it gave only the illusion of protection. Mundane armor did nothing against demons, after all. But at least she had stuff to wear.


    Other than the armor remnants, I tossed the rest of my stuff. The most valuable item was probably my ration pack, and I could get those from a quartermaster in ridiculous quantities every couple of weeks. Mercutio had probably poisoned my rations anyway.


    Maybe, if I ate them, I could take him down with me when the investigation began. But if that¡¯s how he killed me in the end, he would probably laugh himself to death.


    Bronwynn had been suspiciously quiet throughout my explanation, asking only a few clarifying question. Now, when I emerged from the bathroom, I found him arguing quietly with the sergeant brothers. He stiffened when he saw me approaching and went mum, but that was only more unsettling.


    ¡°I¡¯m ready, commander,¡± I said simply.


    It was hard to ignore their pitying glances when they took in my current state. I looked extra pitiful, since I had stolen these clothes from a civilian home at the start of the Berlis invasion, and they were both old and didn¡¯t fit. The lack of shoes was the finishing touch of shame. Sure, some demons didn¡¯t wear them, but that was because they had odd feet, or deadly claws, or hooves. I was just very poor at the moment.


    ¡°Let us go, then. We should take this to the general as soon as we can. He¡¯s been in a good mood, actually. I would almost say he enjoyed it when everything went wrong in Berlis,¡± Glaustro groused, sounding much more refined and formal.


    I found it a little funny that he always had to do a full reset of his speech pattern when he wanted to put effort into being taken seriously, but I appreciated it all the same. He was doing it for me, this time.


    ¡°U-Um, sir,¡± piped up the bureaucrat I had completely forgotten about. Glaustro had dismissed him to a nearby corner, both so he could wrap up our official transfer paperwork, and to prevent him from overhearing our conversation. ¡°We still need their signatures¡­ and¡­¡±


    He trailed off, cowering at our group¡¯s obviously grim mood.


    That¡¯s when something occurred to me, and I eyed him resentfully. ¡°You¡¯re not from logistics, are you?¡±


    Aggression roiled off all the demons around me, and even Mia seemed ready to stab the man. I felt genuinely touched that they would back me up in bullying a demon from Mercutio¡¯s department. Alas, it wasn¡¯t meant to be.


    ¡°N-N-N-No!¡± the squirrel-demon said wildly. ¡°I¡¯m from legislation! I don¡¯t like that lot! They¡¯re all horrible! Can¡¯t even get a piece of paper without pushing at least five signatures and three different forms through their inspection!¡±


    That mollified all of us. Bronwynn even clapped the poor demon on the shoulder with a smile and a muttered ¡®good man.¡¯ The smile our unlucky helper gave in return could be charitably described as ¡®wretched.¡¯


    He did get our signatures, though. Then he ran, like he was sure we would take off after him and he wanted a good head start. I actually smiled a tiny bit at that.


    The hint of my good mood evaporated as soon as I looked down at the crate in my hands, now empty except for my ruined armor. Fighting down a snarl of rage, I followed the group outside.


    We didn¡¯t have far to go. Some administrative genius had decided the best location for the legion headquarters was right next to the resurrection plazas, so we actually doubled back the way we came. After the plaza, we only turned down a couple more streets before arriving at a massive compound.


    The titular headquarters of the legion was doing a good job of pretending to be a very large, sprawling mansion. Or maybe a small castle? Either way, it was imposing. I was surprised when we got through the front gate with relative ease. Then we approached a receptionist and requested a meeting with the general.


    That was when we hit a wall.


    As could be expected of a man who functionally ran the entire legion, his time was rather carefully portioned and managed. While the sergeant brothers argued with the receptionist, Bronwynn whispered to me that the general actually treated recruitment drives as a kind of short vacation. For a while every year, he got to visit a new world, toss around a couple of locals, and then kick back while evaluating recruit performance. As far as evil demonic overlords went, I supposed that was rather idyllic.


    The general wasn¡¯t the ultimate leader of the legion, of course. That dubious honor went to the Grand Duke of Torment himself, the man who ruled the very layer of the Abyss we were currently in, with totalitarian authority. The general was simply his most trusted aide and right hand, and as such, oversaw all important matters under the grand duke¡¯s purview.


    In other words, the duke got to do whatever he wanted, and the general had to deal with all the pesky little details of ruling, along with any invasions the duke started.


    Why the general hadn¡¯t tried to kill the duke yet was a mystery to literally everyone. Especially since the most expedient way to secure upward mobility in demonic society was to kill your superior and take their place.


    Somehow, we got lucky. The chaos on Berlis had disrupted the whole legion, what with the insane local mage figuring out how to wield spatial magic and burn souls for mana. Actual demons had died to her traps, which was a big no-no for such a weak world. The invasion had been forced into an early conclusion, which meant the general¡¯s schedule was emptier than usual. When the brothers hounded the receptionist into sending a message up to the general¡¯s aide, saying a couple of his sergeants wanted to see him, the receptionist actually agreed to let us through.


    I wasn¡¯t sure who was more shocked, the receptionist or the brothers. But we had our meeting.


    We were led down fancy corridors adorned with art, weapons, and random items I didn¡¯t recognize. It didn¡¯t take me long to realize that it was all one giant display of the general¡¯s conquests.


    When I made the mistake of walking too close to one of the displays, an unassuming dagger, I almost collapsed as a wave of malice and murderous mana washed over me. I barely managed to stumble past it, but I stuck to the very center of the hallway from then on.


    The experience led me to an important revelation.


    Everything on display was the most prized item of the world it came from. A legendary sword, warred over by many kingdoms. A grimoire with forbidden, ancient, and powerful spells. Unique materials that elevated their world¡¯s mages to new heights.


    All of it was cleaned, prepared, and put on display for the general and his visitors to marvel at. Not wielded, or honored, or coveted. Just displayed, like a useless trinket picked up from a souvenir shop.


    It set the right mood for our arrival at the study of the man himself.


    When his aide cracked the door open, we were almost floored by the amount of mana that seeped out. It wasn¡¯t something done maliciously to cow us. The general simply gave off that much power by default.


    At the sound of the opening door, he looked up from some documents with a confused ¡°Hmm?¡± Then he saw us, and the flood of mana immediately cut off as he leashed it.


    ¡°Ah, yes. You wanted to see me, sergeants. And I see you¡¯ve brought others with you.¡± Amusement was plain in the general¡¯s voice. ¡°Well, come in. Let¡¯s not waste time.¡±


    With a shuddering breath, I tried to fortify myself, and obeyed.

 Chapter 64: The Abyss

    The general¡¯s office was as impressive as you would assume. The floor was covered in plush carpeting that made me feel ashamed of my bare feet, all the furniture was made of richly colored wood of superb quality, and the shelving was filled to the brim with the man¡¯s most prized trophies.


    I couldn¡¯t even look at most of those. Their effect was even more overwhelming than the displays in the hallway. I tried to sneak a glance at some kind of sword, but looked away quickly when my head rang with a sudden dizzy spell.


    Of the few items I could look at without keeling over, the most notable was a massive, jagged crystal, featured prominently on the general¡¯s desk. My stomach twisted. This was a huge soul crystal, bearing closer resemblance to a Christmas tree than to the orbs I was familiar with. Countless souls were trapped within it, though one face was larger than the rest, taking up the whole center of the crystal: a single soul, caught in a moment of eternal agony.


    Glaustro and Graighast both jerked away from the crystal as if it would bite them, and the general smiled like a shark.


    ¡°I see you recognize the latest addition to my collection. The corrupted soul of one Reliana Tingent.¡± He spread his arms, as if showing off a precious gem. ¡°In all its twisted glory. Quite the unique item, I must say.¡±


    ¡°Ah, congratulations,¡± Graighast ventured.


    His smile was strained, but the general didn¡¯t seem to care whether the words were genuine. He simply waved his hand in a leisurely fashion, and a stunning amount of mana erupted from his skin. It all clumped together into the rough shape of five chairs. Then the whole world shimmered, like a mirage, and the mana constructs were replaced by very real, very physical, undeniably comfy-looking padded chairs.


    ¡°Sit,¡± was the extent of his order, but we all rushed to obey.


    ¡°Now, Glaustro.¡± The general leveled his gaze at my commander. ¡°You were cited as the primary petitioner. Explain what you want from me, that you would insist on such a meeting.¡±


    Naturally, Glaustro complied. I was impressed at how thoroughly the demon had memorized my account of events, down to the last detail.


    The general did not stop him, not even once. He asked no clarifying questions. The terrifying demon simply sat there with a thoughtful expression on his face, like he was enjoying the story.


    At long last, when Glaustro wrapped up the tale, the general nodded. ¡°I see why you came to me. Mercutio is not much of an issue, obviously, the boy is hardly competent, but Melchom is. Even so¡­ tell me, why should I act against one of my own aides? One who now heads an entire division?¡±


    He sounded more amused than anything, so I didn¡¯t immediately lose all hope. Glaustro, however, looked distinctly uncomfortable at still being the center of attention.


    ¡°Sir, Mercutio has gone too far this time. He lay claim to tested and promising recruits, and reduced their numbers to shambles. Our losses are extreme. Furthermore, he personally tried to assassinate a holder of two separate higher level merits.¡±


    ¡°Allegedly. He allegedly tried to assassinate him. And merits or not, we are still talking about a recruit.¡± Despite his protests, the general still seemed to be in a good mood. In fact, dare I say it, he looked like he was toying with Glaustro.


    Meanwhile, my commander was looking paler than I had ever seen him, but he forged ahead. ¡°We do these recruitment drives to find people with potential. Individuals who could truly assist us with rising higher in the ranks of the Abyss. Some of those recruits had that potential. Mercutio does not.¡±


    Suddenly, the general burst out laughing. When the sound petered off, he swept his eyes over all of us. ¡°True. It is unlikely that Mercutio will ever amount to anything. However, all he does, he does on his father¡¯s orders. And I am telling you now: I will not punish Melchom.¡±


    Equal parts disappointment and anger swept through me. I couldn¡¯t even bring myself to care that the demons around me could feel all of it. I always knew the idea of revenge against Mercutio was a long shot, but still¡­ To do everything I did, to struggle so hard, only for an entitled idiot to swoop in, wreck everything, and walk out unpunished? It felt, well, like a betrayal.


    To my surprise, the general laughed again.


    ¡°Oh, look at you all. Yes, I said I would not punish them. I never said I will do nothing.¡±


    The general¡¯s eyes fixed on mine with unearthly intensity, his voice inarguably final. ¡°They will not try to touch you again, recruit. You have my word on this. Likewise, logistics will never be allowed to meddle with soldiers again.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t much. It wasn¡¯t nearly enough. Still, Glaustro had gotten me exactly what he promised out of the meeting: safety.


    ¡°Thank you, sir,¡± my commander said quietly, and with genuine feeling. He looked so relieved, I realized I must have underestimated the danger I was in.


    ¡°Think nothing of it. I do, after all, regret what has happened. It should not have come to this. The loss of such a promising mutated recruit troubles me greatly too. I did not even get a report on that rising star, before or after his death.¡±


    The general went silent as he mulled over this. I hoped it meant Mercutio and his father would get into some trouble after all.


    The silence became uncomfortable as it stretched on and on. But when it was broken by the general¡¯s attention falling on me again, I realized I preferred the unsettling quiet.


    ¡°Do you have any questions for me, recruit, about this incident or its resolution?¡±


    I wet my lips, heart racing. The offer was extremely generous. He was basically a ruler of the legion, and I was a lowly recruit. The wise choice would be to thank him and then keep my mouth shut.


    Still, there was something I desperately needed to know.


    ¡°Why? Why did they do all this? And why not just kill me outright?¡±


    The general scoffed, eyes distant for a moment. ¡°A simple answer? Reputation. Your existence is¡­ inconvenient, but so is killing you openly, as it would invite far too much scrutiny. Unfortunately, I am not one to gossip about my subordinates.¡±


    I slumped a little in my mana-chair. I didn¡¯t expect much, but I had gotten even less than I hoped.


    Then a vicious smile bloomed on the general¡¯s face.


    ¡°Instead, why don¡¯t I share an inspiring story with you instead? You see, Melchom has set himself up as a shining example, an ideal ascended demon, with an exemplary rise to power. After all, it is not every day that someone joins the legion by offering up an entire world to the Duke of Torment.¡±


    The general gauged our reactions, apparently pleased by the shock he observed.


    ¡°You see, Melchom¡¯s family was a renowned household of mages. They had a peculiar tendency to birth twins. Every time, one twin would be raised in the art of magical warfare, while the other would be raised in the art of summoning, binding, and wielding familiars. The former sharpened themselves as blades, and the latter ruled the family.¡±Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!


    I hung onto his every word, leaning closer for fear of missing something. A part of me that was definitely all Hayden craved this knowledge with an intensity that bordered on the unholy.


    ¡°When Melchom took over as head of the family alongside his twin brother, he delved deep into the summoning arts, deep enough to eventually summon a demon and bind them to his service. He forced as much knowledge as he could from his new familiar, and his hunger for more only grew.


    ¡°Slowly, he hatched his plan. A plan that would trade an entire world for the ascension of his family. However, rumor has it that Melchom¡¯s brother objected to this scheme. For these objections, the brother¡¯s entire branch of the family was¡­ purged. Still, I have it on good authority that Melchom was never one to waste resources.¡±


    The story didn¡¯t come with details. I couldn¡¯t even determine exactly where I would fit into the whole thing. Yet, I did fit. That, I was sure of. I could no longer deny that I was related to this monster.


    A monster who apparently sacrificed his entire world and a good chunk of his family in order to rise to power.


    ¡°Setting this grim topic aside, we have something more important to discuss,¡± the general declared, his eyes never once leaving me. ¡°You see, I am determined to right some of the wrongs wrought by Mercutio. And, as the primary victim of his hostility, you are also the main recipient of my benevolence. This armor you lost. Show it to me.¡±


    Somehow, I managed to stand. I was still holding the crate in which the armor was returned to me, so I rather dumbly presented the whole thing to the demon. Looking amused again, he picked up the ruined chest armor and held it almost gently.


    ¡°This symbol¡­ Amahis Armory? Tibath did sign up for this invasion, but I am surprised you met her, let alone that you could afford her work. Then again, this isn¡¯t her work, is it? Wrong mark.¡±


    My curiosity got the best of me. ¡°You know the armory, sir? And it¡¯s not Tibath¡¯s work. Her daughter, Yules, made the armor.¡±


    The demon sent me a sardonic smile. ¡°You could say we are familiar, yes. Did you note the mark? The hammer and needle are symbolic of Amahis Armory, but the number denotes the generation. Tibath¡¯s own mark bears the number four. Hmm¡­¡± He hefted the plate and leather in his hands as if weighing it. ¡°It is not particularly noteworthy on its own, yet as the work of a future master armorer, its value is considerable. I can see why you would react badly to losing something like this.¡±


    I wisely kept my mouth shut. Having my meltdown rehashed by Glaustro was embarrassing enough. I didn¡¯t need to explode in front of the general.


    Regardless, though, he seemed to understand. He returned the armor to the crate with great care. Then he fixed his gaze on me once more.


    ¡°I am going to, as some are fond of saying, lay our cards on the table. You have three options. First, I can give you enough souls to ascend on the spot, as well as replace your armor and any other material losses you may have suffered. Second, you can opt for a long-term approach. I will provide you with the right materials to aid your growth, so that when you ascend, you can do so as a powerful demon in your own right. Finally¡­ you can take a risk.¡±


    The general smiled enchantingly, even as my mind spun at the dizzying offer. I already had mana crystals, true, but if he could speed up my training¡­


    ¡°What sort of risk, sir?¡± I dared ask, much to the demon¡¯s approval.


    ¡°You can complete your preparation to ascend, then decline to do it immediately. This would provide you with benefits and abilities that no regular mortal could match. Several important opportunities will open up to you. However¡­ I will warn you now that there is a reason most mortals choose to ascend immediately.¡±


    Judging by the harsh intake of breath from the ascendant demons in the room, I could only assume that the risk was considerable. Even so, I was rather upset that no one had explained any of this to me before.


    Thankfully, the general was determined to remove my ignorance.


    ¡°You see, when you completely convert your mana, you bring your mortal self in line with what resembles a demon. Unfortunately, mortal faculties and minds were never meant to process or withstand that kind of existence. The longer you tarry without completing your ascension, the more likely you are to lose yourself entirely. Afterwards, even if you ascend, and it¡¯s far more probable that you would be put down, the newborn demon would be so far removed from who you used to be that they might as well be considered a wholly new person.¡±


    I glanced at the brothers and Bronwynn, only to see grim looks on their faces. Not that I needed this confirmation. I wasn¡¯t entirely stupid. I had noticed¡­ issues with my behavior already. What would it be like, to fully sink under the influence of the Abyss?


    ¡°And if I succeed?¡± I asked tentatively.


    The general eyed me, leaning back into his chair. His answer, at first, made no sense at all.


    ¡°Our world is one of the most unique and powerful out there. Other than the Cradle of Reason, perhaps the most unique and powerful. Gods like to brag about their Divine Realm, and mages will forever strive to ascend their worlds above all others, but it is our world that stands at the apex. The few species who can match us have no need for a homeworld. They are creatures of mana and of the Void, and as such, are only passing visitors on any plane.¡±


    He paused, dramatically, then finally got to the point.


    ¡°Success would allow you to bridge the typically observed gap between ascended and Abyss-born demons. You would be stronger, your abilities more potent and far more unique than what your peers might attain upon ascension. Unfortunately, to do this, you will need to prove yourself worthy of the gift.¡±


    His voice seeped into my pores like ambient mana. I couldn¡¯t tear my eyes away from his, but the jagged soul crystal on his death churned in my periphery, Reliana¡¯s face screaming in silent anguish.


    ¡°What do you think the Abyss is?¡± the general went on. ¡°It is a confluence. The centerpoint of Emotion. Throughout creation, the feelings of all creatures, sentient or not, have echoed and pooled here. We, as children of the Abyss, are creatures of Emotion. Without the ability to shed madness for reason, you would not be worthy of the true gifts of the Abyss.¡±


    I felt a spark of defiance ignite in my chest. His language was fancy, but the message was simple: most ascendant demons were not worthy.


    But how can they be? When no one shares important information, when resources are scarce, and when methods to grow are guarded jealously?


    It was easy for Abyss-born demons to proclaim themselves ¡®superior.¡¯ Their birth gave them every advantage. They didn¡¯t have to fight for it.


    It was time for someone to prove them wrong.


    ¡°I want to do it.¡± My voice was quiet, but hardened. ¡°I will do it. I would choose the third option, every time.¡±


    Glaustro choked. Graighast looked grim. Bronwynn seemed to be watching my funeral unfold before his very eyes. Only Mia stared at me with a boldness that may have rivaled my own.


    The general¡¯s smile was victorious.


    ¡°I can appreciate ambition. Very well, then.¡± He extracted several sheets of paper from his desk, then quickly started to fill them out. ¡°In that case, I will issue you a grant of one thousand souls right now. I know you are halfway through your ascension already, but they will help. Likewise¡­¡±


    He paused, briefly, to rummage through his desk. When he found what he was looking for, he made a tiny noise of satisfaction that I found surprisingly mundane coming from the leader of the legion.


    ¡°Here we are. A voucher, for three thousand souls, that can be turned in at any armory. Personally, I think you already know where you should go, and your extra souls will easily afford you the passage fee for traveling between layers.¡±


    He finished scribbling and pushed one of the papers towards me, with a voucher card on top of it. I had to blink several times to shake off my disbelief. The card looked starkly modern. When I picked it up, it even felt like plastic.


    ¡°Ahhh, that,¡± he said, noticing my surprise. ¡°It¡¯s a relatively recent innovation, from one of our newer officers in acquisitions. They are quite useful for quickly handing out rewards. Do not think I forgot about you, either.¡±


    This comment was addressed to Mia, who looked startled as he slid a piece of paper to her, too.


    ¡°I did say I want to reimburse everyone affected. You didn¡¯t quite quality for a gift voucher, but your ambition is as clear to me as his.¡±


    I peeked at the paper. Just like mine, it entitled her to redeem a thousand souls at her convenience, at any bank within the Torment layer.


    Glancing up, I caught Mia¡¯s gaze. Her eyes were shining with determination.


    But the general wasn¡¯t quite done yet.


    ¡°I will leave you with this parting advice, just so you know what you are getting into. The Abyss is our mother. Our origin. Our cradle. She loves us, and we love her in turn. However... she is a parent. And like all parents, she has aspirations and expectations for her children. What she wants for us is not always what we want for ourselves.


    ¡°She is also a jealous mother. She clings to us, even in death, so none other than she may claim us. No matter how you might try to avoid this fate, you will fail. You belong to her. Now, and for all eternity.¡±


    His solemn face broke into another smile. ¡°It is not such a bad lot in life, however. She is a better parent than most. At the very least, she will never abuse or abandon you.¡±


    Then the general motioned us out of his office. Without a word, we stood and filed out.


    I was still numb with disbelief. Whatever my thoughts going into that meeting, I had not expected to walk away with rewards. But as I stared at the general¡¯s gifts, I resolved myself to make the most of it all.


    I would rise within the Abyss.


    No matter what.

 Chapter 65: Passion

    We were all silent on the walk out of headquarters. I couldn¡¯t speak for the others, but there was a tension in my shoulders that just refused to go away. It felt like some enormous predator was staring me down, and the feeling fled only when I stepped outside.


    Bronwynn immediately whirled around to glare at me.


    ¡°Of all the reckless stupidity,¡± he snarled. ¡°Making that claim in front of the general takes the cake! You do realize you are duty bound to follow through now, correct? Both of you. If you just choose to ascend without delay, he will hunt you down and punish you on principle.¡±


    ¡°Is it really so bad?¡± I shot back, that spark of defiance still blazing inside me. ¡°I don¡¯t want to have a regular ascension.¡±


    ¡°We will discuss this later,¡± Glaustro cut in, sounding utterly exhausted. ¡°We got most of what we wanted out of that meeting. We can count that as a victory, at least.¡±


    The demon then turned to look at me, and the turmoil in his eyes gave me pause. I had never seen him look so genuinely concerned for someone else before.


    ¡°Promise me this, both of you: do not do anything on your own. Not yet. We really do need to talk. I¡¯ll explain everything, including the benefits of delaying your ascension. I have it on good authority we are going to be deployed again soon, and we can handle it all then. Regardless, you have a week or so at least to rest and recuperate from everything. Do so.¡±


    This sounded like a reasonable request. I exchanged a look with Mia to confirm, then said, ¡°We will. And I promise. Though¡­ any advice on how to spend that time?¡±


    A hint of a smile swept across Glaustro¡¯s features, and he shook his head. ¡°Young and reckless. There are no set barracks for individual units. Officers can organize things at their leisure and offer or even insist on shared housing, but plenty of legion soldiers choose to rent or purchase a home of their own. With the teleportation network and its cheap fees, it doesn¡¯t matter where you set up, even if it¡¯s in another layer. The summons would reach you through your brand anywhere within the Abyss, too.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of¡­ how do I get to Passion, exactly?¡± I asked.


    ¡°You want to travel to a different layer right now?¡± Glaustro asked, slowly and with great intent.


    ¡°Yes? I need armor.¡±


    ¡°You will travel to a different layer¡­ wearing those clothes, and lugging that crate?¡±


    I flushed crimson, remembering what a sorry sight I was. My commander just shook his head again in exasperation.


    ¡°Find a bank. Get your souls. Buy some clothes, and then travel. Just approach any obelisk you see, and you¡¯ll be set. Now¡­ I think it¡¯s time I get some rest myself.¡±


    The other demons agreed promptly and vanished after a few quick goodbyes. All our nerves were shot. I was getting by, thanks to sheer spite and ridiculous emotional highs that were probably a portent of ascension, but I had to admit I was running on fumes myself.


    I did, however, feel rather awkward when I found myself standing there in the middle of a street, looking like a hobo and accompanied by a cat lady who seemed intent on following me around.


    ¡°So¡­¡± I trailed off awkwardly as I tried to maintain eye contact. Unfortunately for me, in true cat fashion, Mia just lazily blinked. I squared my shoulders. ¡°Right. Well, how about that bank, then?¡±


    It took a minute for us to find a bank. I tried to approach a few demons at first, but they didn¡¯t even break stride as they walked past me without a word. It was only when we ventured further into the absolutely massive city that we got lucky.


    Once we left the military section of the city, we encountered fewer purposefully striding demons and more friendly street hawkers. These demons, for the low price of purchasing their wares, were more than happy to give directions.


    The problem was, whatever uncomfortable effect made me want to squirm in my own skin also affected my taste buds. When I paid for our street food, some kind of meat wrapped in pastry, the first taste felt like I had bitten into a rotting, maggot-filled corpse.


    I didn¡¯t throw up on the spot, but I definitely made a face, which earned me the ire of a previously friendly stall keeper.


    At least he still gave us directions. Frostily, but he did.


    A few minutes later, we were walking into a stately building. It reminded me of the bank I visited way back in Fortress City 12, the city of my first invasion. Except this time, the teller was helpful without any creepy flirting! A surprise to be sure, but a welcome one, especially since I didn¡¯t look like someone who belonged in a bank right that minute.


    With our funds secured, the Abyss was our oyster. Or more accurately, our oyster was a humble little shop that had needle and thread on a sign hanging outside its door. The polite demoness we found inside was more than happy to take our measurements and our currency. Twenty souls later, I had a full outfit of mundane clothing.


    They even sold shoes, which I was immensely thankful for. The streets didn¡¯t look grimy, but I was a mortal in a city of demons. I didn¡¯t want to catch some weird disease just because I was traipsing around barefoot.


    All haste aside, shopping for clothes was actually a fascinating experience. I was shown a whole host of garments in a dizzying number of styles, and when I asked about their size, my answer was amused laughter. The shop owner snapped her fingers, and with a wave of mana, every article of clothing in the shop adjusted itself perfectly to my size.


    I didn¡¯t question her after that. I just hunted down a beautiful black shirt with silver buttons and trim, a pair of sturdy pants that resembled jeans, and several pairs of underwear, just in case.


    The shoes I ended up with resembled hiking boots from my past life. Admittedly, I didn¡¯t pay much attention to them. I knew that I would be getting replacements as soon as I found my way to Yules, so I just picked whatever looked comfortable enough for the time being.


    Of course, compared to the unsettling effect outside, everything seemed comfortable. This store, like the restaurant and bank and every other establishment, was shielded from the strange discomfort of this Abyssal layer.


    But it was more than that. It had to be magic. I refused to accept any other explanation. Every article of clothing or shoes I ran my fingers over were superbly made and felt like soft, welcoming heaven.


    The irony did not escape me.


    I wasn¡¯t the only one who did some shopping. By the time I was done being picky and looking for clothes that felt as ¡®modern¡¯ as I could manage to find, Mia was already standing by the counter. The owner ushered her into a changing room, and a few minutes later, the cat lady emerged.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    I flushed. I couldn¡¯t help it.


    I had seen Mia in armor, and I had seen her in what could be generously called ¡®casual wear.¡¯ Actually, when we woke up in that plaza, I had seen far more of her than propriety said was okay. In spite of that, I had rarely ever paused to take her in.


    She had chosen a dress. A midnight-blue dress that fell down her body in waves and rippled with every movement she made, briefly accenting her figure. The dress had a lot to accent. The garment even had a hole for her tail, which was now idly swaying side to side, freed of awkwardly fitted clothes and armor. Somehow, her animal features only enhanced her appearance, instead of making her look odd or unnatural to my eyes.


    I had to force myself to stop staring and focus on making my own purchases.


    The last order of business we handled in that store was to ask for directions yet again. If we had a week of free time and were allowed to visit other layers, then I refused to spend my mini vacation in the Torment layer.


    Thankfully, teleportation obelisks seemed to be remarkably common. We were soon standing next to one in a small park. Having no better idea of what to do, I gingerly laid a hand on the device.


    Instantly, information exploded into my mind. Suggestions, inquiries, and even what I was pretty sure were demonic ads swamped me. It took some doing, but I eventually managed to find a weird mental toggle that my consciousness insisted would act as an ¡®assistant.¡¯


    I triggered it, and most of the information clawing for my attention faded instantly.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; box-shadow: 1px 1px 1px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.75); background: rgba(0, 75, 122, 1); border: 1px solid rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.25); width: 99.9745%; color: rgba(204, 204, 204, 1); padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 10px" border="1"><colgroup><col style="width: 100%"></colgroup>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>Greetings, how may I assist you today?</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    The words just unveiled themselves to me. It almost felt like they were visible, rather than a figment of my imagination.


    Not wanting to make a spectacle of myself, I covered my surprise and thought very hard in response.


    I need to travel to a different layer.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; box-shadow: 1px 1px 1px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.75); background: rgba(0, 75, 122, 1); border: 1px solid rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.25); width: 99.9745%; color: rgba(204, 204, 204, 1); padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 10px" border="1"><colgroup><col style="width: 100%"></colgroup>


    <tbody>


    <tr>


    <td>Of course, sir, but do you have a destination in mind?</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Somehow, the words sounded mocking. I tried to sound more authoritative.


    Amahis Armory, layer of Passion.


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    <tbody>


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    <td>I can deposit you at the teleportation anchor closest to the shop within the city of Gleiprith, Passion. Would this be acceptable?</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Yes.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; box-shadow: 1px 1px 1px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.75); background: rgba(0, 75, 122, 1); border: 1px solid rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.25); width: 99.9745%; color: rgba(204, 204, 204, 1); padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 10px" border="1"><colgroup><col style="width: 100%"></colgroup>


    <tbody>


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    <td>Excellent, sir. Are you traveling alone or in company?</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    Company. There are two of us.


    <table style="border-collapse: collapse; box-shadow: 1px 1px 1px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.75); background: rgba(0, 75, 122, 1); border: 1px solid rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.25); width: 99.9745%; color: rgba(204, 204, 204, 1); padding-left: 10px; padding-right: 10px" border="1"><colgroup><col style="width: 100%"></colgroup>


    <tbody>


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    <td>I understand, sir. The standard teleportation fee is ten souls per person, would this be acceptable?</td>


    </tr>


    </tbody>


    </table>


    I was honestly shocked. Being used to the cost of travel in my past life, I was expecting to be ripped off. Hell, a taxi would have been way more expensive than a measly ten souls.


    When I realized where my mind was going, I couldn¡¯t help but smile bitterly.


    Cheap¡­ yeah, right.


    Ten souls equaled ten lives, snuffed out and denied an afterlife forever. And there I stood, thinking how low the price was.


    I paid, of course. What else was I supposed to do?


    The obelisk rippled, the fabric of reality cracked, and a portal opened right in front of us. I urged Mia through quickly, then stepped forward myself.


    The change was as stark as it was immediate.


    One moment, existence was suffering itself, torment in every waking or sleeping moment. The next, the air felt lighter and even richer, like it carried a promise of growth and prosperity.


    Energy thrummed through me. My mind was more agile. I felt emotions bubble up within me, sensations I hadn¡¯t experienced so purely in a long time.


    I wanted to run, to laugh, to cry, to embrace everything life had to offer.


    I wanted to pursue magic with a single-minded obsession that only those truly awed by it could boast.


    I wanted to better myself, to grow and grow until every moment was a celebration of progress and sheer, unbridled passion.


    I stumbled and almost lost my footing before someone¡¯s hold on the back of my shirt made me jerk back into place.


    ¡°What?¡± I looked back to find a squinting Mia giving me the stink-eye. ¡°What happened?¡±


    ¡°You tried to run away without a word,¡± she informed me, pointedly refusing to let me go.


    ¡°Sorry, I just¡­ this place feels amazing!¡± I gushed, unable to contain myself. I needed to tell her all about exactly how amazing the layer made me feel, right then and there. ¡°It¡¯s¡­¡±


    ¡°Nice. It¡¯s nice,¡± Mia cut me off, still squinting at me. ¡°Now, we¡¯re going to the armory you wanted. You can start moving, but don¡¯t think I won¡¯t get rougher with you if you try to wander off again. But we need to find someone to ask where the shop is first.¡±


    I tried to wander off. I tried to wander off several times, in fact. I couldn¡¯t help it. I would be totally focused on our goal, and then a flight of fancy would come out of nowhere, gripping me with such strength that I just had to pursue it.


    Mia pulled me back the first time, pinched the back of my neck with her claws the second, and started bonking me over the head from the third onwards, as soon as she noticed I was starting to get distracted. In the end, a distance that we should have covered in ten minutes took about forty, and it was entirely my fault.


    I was still trying to shake off the layer¡¯s effects, with only middling success, when I finally caught sight of the store. It was just as I remembered it. Instantly, my mind was wholly occupied by the thought of the store, and I lunged forward. I did tug a bit on Mia in my haste, but at least I now had my eyes on the prize.


    I burst through the door with a massive smile.


    ¡°Hello! Anybody home? I¡¯m here for some armor!¡±


    I giggled, both because I was being too loud and found it unbearably funny for some reason, and because I was finally back in the store. I had wanted so badly to come back for proper demonic armor. Something like manners or common sense weren¡¯t going to get in my way.


    ¡°Oh, oh dear. Well, he¡¯s truly drunk on passion, isn¡¯t he?¡±


    Recognizing the voice, I turned my beaming grin on the demonic shopkeeper.


    ¡°Hi! It¡¯s been forever! Let me just ¡ª urk!¡±


    I tried to rush to the demoness, intending, in my infinite wisdom, to go in for a hug. Thankfully, I didn¡¯t even get a step closer to her before my collar dug into my throat painfully, cutting off both my stupidity and my airflow. Mia had switched her hold to the back of my collar at some point, and was now giving me a distinctly unimpressed look.


    ¡°You keep hold of him. I¡¯m not letting him near my daughter like that. And I¡¯ll engage the purification wards. We don¡¯t typically need them, but¡­¡± the demoness trailed off, seeming amused rather than angry as she headed behind the counter.


    ¡°You mean Yules? Is she here? Hey, Yules, I¡¯m here to¡ª¡±


    I was in the middle of shouting towards the back of the shop when the wards snapped into place. Instantly, some of the bubbliness coursing through my brain faded. I was left blinking like an owl.


    With every passing moment, more of my sanity reasserted itself. By the time Tibath made her return, I was doing my best impression of a wet kitten getting carted around by its mother. With Mia¡¯s hand still on my collar, the image fit pretty well.


    Of course, to add insult to my injury, a younger copy of Tibath emerged from the back also, looking mildly confused.


    ¡°Was someone shouting my name?¡± The tall, muscular, shapely demoness looked around, then her eyes fixed on me and widened. ¡°It¡¯s you!¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s him. Now, tell me, what were you about to say to my daughter before the wards triggered?¡± Yules¡¯ mother teased, much to the girl¡¯s continued befuddlement.


    I got so red that I was giving their own skin color a run for its money, but at least this made Tibath erupt into laughter instead of getting me booted out.


    Passion¡­ Never again.

 Chapter 66: Enchantment

    So. Passion was one hell of a drug, and I was apparently an emotion addict. Or at least somewhat predisposed to emotional addiction?


    Regardless, I was vulnerable, and I didn¡¯t like it.


    Honestly, I shouldn¡¯t have been surprised. All my previous experience suggested weakness in this area, starting with what happened when I decided to kick off my ascension with ¡®just one or two souls.¡¯ I got myself hooked on the feeling right away. Before I knew it, I was 500 souls down and several problems deeper into an already dangerous situation.


    Remembering how quickly that emotional tide pulled me under, I shuddered. Then I tried to stand a little straighter, despite Mia¡¯s grip on my collar. I knew I was blushing. I would have covered my face if I weren¡¯t still carrying the box. As it was, I tried to recover some level of dignity by staring fixedly at the wall, my expression carefully blank.


    I was immensely thankful for Mia.


    My original plan for visiting Passion hadn¡¯t included her, and without her¡­ Well, if I had even managed to reach Amahis Armory, who knows what mess I might have made inside the store itself? While Tibath was all smiley at the moment, I doubt her good mood would have lasted if I had charged in and hugged her. We had met only once. I was practically a stranger, and a mortal at that.


    Another shiver ran down my spine as I once again remembered the recruit who got killed for hitting on a demoness too aggressively*.*


    Huh. I guess she¡¯s actually alive again now. Wonder if she managed to fix that particular bad habit.


    Maybe behavior correction murder was a thing among demons?


    Yules¡¯ excited voice broke me out of my escapist introspection.


    ¡°I¡¯m so happy you¡¯re back!¡± She clasped my shoulders, her whole face beaming. ¡°You have to tell me all about how the armor worked out for you! Was it okay? Wait, you¡¯re not here to complain, right? I mean, you¡¯re not wearing the armor, and¡ª¡±


    ¡°The armor is amazing!¡± I cut her off quickly when I saw that her expression was veering into panic. ¡°I was the envy of all the recruits and quite a few demons, I bet.¡± I exaggerated a little, but only on the latter count. Then my tone became morose. ¡°It¡¯s better than amazing, really. Or rather, it was.¡±


    ¡°Was?¡± Yules asked, with just as much trepidation as I had experienced going into my first battle.


    ¡°A vindictive asshat ruined my armor,¡± I complained as I held the box out to Yules.


    She snatched it up, eyes widening as they landed on its contents. Then she rushed the box over to the counter for a closer inspection.


    Unfortunately, as she yanked the chest piece out, it finally gave up its last connection to life. The plate remnants snapped off the leather undershirt and clattered down to the ground, taking a few strips of leather with it.


    Yules stared at her ruined creation.


    ¡°Who did that?¡±


    The voice was cold, angry, and vindictive. A jolt of fear coursed through the very core of my being as my eyes snapped over to Tibath.


    For the first time since I had met her, the demoness was all fierceness and pure murderous intent. Her mana was leaking out, too. As I watched, it began to spontaneously ignite around her body. Except, instead of the normal orange-red flames, hers started out blue.


    ¡°Mercutio.¡± I threw the demon under the bus, immediately and willingly. ¡°Son of Melchom, of the logistics division in the Legion of Torment. I think we¡¯re distantly related, and he really doesn¡¯t like that.¡±


    Even such a tentative admission of that familial link made me want to throw up. But I wasn¡¯t going to lie to an angry demoness, especially one whose power level seemed closer to the general¡¯s than to most officers I had encountered.


    She looked from her distraught daughter to me, and back again. Then her face went blank. ¡°I see. Well, then. I suppose that particular division is going to be experiencing some issues.¡±


    The way she delivered the announcement left me no doubt that these issues would, in fact, be cropping up.


    ¡°It¡¯s all ruined. I can¡¯t even try to salvage this,¡± Yules pronounced sadly. ¡°Whoever ruined it, they used mana. Not even repair or mending spells would work.¡±


    Frowning, I tried to inspect the armor a little closer with my mystical senses. It was extremely subtle, so much so that I had entirely missed it, but there were traces of mana lingering in every cut, rend, and burn mark. Some of the mana had sunk deep into the leather remnants, infecting the armor itself. It was like a purposefully botched enchantment.


    ¡°You¡¯ll be able to remove such contamination in the future,¡± Tibath said. Yules turned to look at her hopefully, and the mother¡¯s expression brightened into a decent mask of her previous cheer, even if it was skin-deep. ¡°As long as your customer here doesn¡¯t mind, you can hang onto the armor and turn it into a proper exhibit someday. The first piece sold by the grandmaster armorer Yules Amahis.¡±


    Tibath¡¯s voice took on a teasing lilt, and she swept her arms out like she was presenting the armor to the crowd. It had the intended effect of making Yules blush and distracting her from the recent disappointment.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    ¡°Honestly, I loved the armor,¡± I gushed, making my contribution to the change in mood. ¡°It was amazing while I had it. It¡¯s one of the main reasons I¡¯m here at all! And I was the most impressive recruit of my batch by a mile, thanks in part to that armor you¡¯re holding. Mia¡¯s alright too, I guess.¡±


    I tacked on the final comment with a smirk at the cat girl. Well, I tried to turn and smirk at her. She was still holding onto my collar, so my expression was reduced to a pout when I almost choked myself.


    ¡°Oh! I¡¯m so sorry, I¡¯ve been so rude! My name is Yules.¡± The bundle of energy rushed up to Mia, eagerly shaking her free hand.


    The cat girl looked startled for a second, then offered a tentative smile that did wonders for her typically expressionless features. ¡°I¡¯m Mia. Nice to meet you. You made the armor for this idiot?¡±


    ¡°Yep! All me! The first piece I ever sold.¡± A shadow passed over the demoness¡¯s brightened face as she looked down at the pitiful remnants in her hands. Then she looked back up at me, her eyes burning with enthusiasm. ¡°But I can do better.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t resist a smile. There was something bouncy and energetic about Yules that had pulled me in from the first moment of meeting her. The sheer¡­ well, passion she put into her work was infectious, making you like her all the more for it. To have that joyfully creative attention directed at you was a heady feeling.


    I started to say something, but a tug on my collar made me release just a ¡®glurk!¡¯ sound instead. A side-eyed glance at Mia showed her staring straight ahead. As usual, her face was blank, but I could swear I detected a hint of annoyance in her eyes.


    Glaring at the cat menace, I cleared my throat and tried again. ¡°Actually, Mercutio destroyed my armor illegally. It happened after the invasion was over. When we were¡­ inducted into the Abyss. I¡¯m guessing he destroyed it after my body collapsed into ash.¡±


    I enjoyed the way Tibath¡¯s eyes tightened for a moment. What I wouldn¡¯t give to see the encounter between her and that ass, if and when she eventually got her hands on him. But I wasn¡¯t just sharing the info to make Yules sad and her mother angry at Mercutio, even if I was unintentionally succeeding at both.


    ¡°That wasn¡¯t the only thing he did, either,¡± I went on. ¡°He pulled off a whole lot of nonsense, so the general is reimbursing all the recruits that were with us. In my case, among other stuff, I got this!¡±


    Reaching into the crate, I pulled out the gift card and held it aloft like a priceless treasure. For me? It honestly kind of was.


    ¡°A voucher for three thousand souls, to spend on armor!¡±


    I made my declaration grandly, yet my words had the opposite effect of what I was hoping for. Instead of looking excited to make another sale, Yules visibly drooped. A sad little ¡°Oh¡± was her only verbal reaction.


    ¡°Yules?¡± I shot her mother a confused look, only to find the woman watching us like she wanted some popcorn. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    ¡°Nothing! Really, it¡¯s nothing,¡± the young demoness rushed to assure me, putting on a cheerful fa?ade. ¡°Well, then, I guess I¡¯ll go back to my practice. I mean, I¡¯m sure you have a ton of stuff to talk about with my mother. Congratulations, by the way. That¡¯s huge. You¡¯ll actually have some semi-decent enchanted pieces this time. Should keep you much safer until you ascend.¡±


    She retreated towards the back room, refusing to look at me.


    Then it clicked.


    After all, I wasn¡¯t a dense idiot of epic proportions. Just regular proportions.


    Didn¡¯t mean I couldn¡¯t have a bit of fun, though.


    ¡°Yules? Where are you going? I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll need plenty of advice from you,¡± I began, injecting just enough confusion into my voice.


    She turned, giving me an expression that bordered on huffy. ¡°I¡¯m sure my mother will take care of you properly.¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t mean you can¡¯t¡ª Ow! Woman, would you stop that?¡± I hissed, rubbing the top of my head where Mia had chosen to bonk me without warning.


    ¡°He wants armor from you,¡± the cat menace said, her voice as blank and even as her features. Honestly, other than the mess that was our first meeting, had I ever seen her flustered? When I was nearly dead, maybe? ¡°I also want to purchase armor from you, but I don¡¯t have funds as generous as his.¡±


    Looking at Yules¡¯ face was like watching a sunrise occurring indoors.


    ¡°Really? You want my armor?¡± Then her expression dimmed, and she stopped herself from latching onto either one of us. ¡°But¡­ my mother is much better. The armor you could get from her would be superior to anything I can make.¡±


    ¡°Not really,¡± I stated bluntly, since it was working for Mia. ¡°She¡¯s a master of her craft. A grandmaster. Her work comes at a premium. So, with our funds, we could probably get better stuff from you. Besides, I want you to make my armor, not your mother. Even if she gave me a discount, I would still pick you.¡±


    That earned me a full flush from Yules, a look of vague disapproval from Mia, and an amused grin from Tibath. I barely noticed the other two, though. I kept my eyes mostly fixed on Yules, trying to convey my sincerity.


    While I was exaggerating a little, it wasn¡¯t a lie that her armor had saved my life. Maybe it didn¡¯t directly ward off killing blows, but just wearing it limited my opponents¡¯ options. It also adjusted to me constantly. I could move more nimbly and with far more comfort in my armor than other recruits, just by virtue of its excellent fit. That made all my maneuvers in battle more viable. Maybe I could have pulled them off with shittier armor, but could I have done so safely every time?


    No. I did, realistically, owe Yules. Especially since I was pretty sure she parted with that armor for less than she should have. When I said she was my first choice, I meant it.


    For a moment, Yules just stared at me.


    ¡°Oh,¡± she said blankly.


    Then I had my arms full of a young, jubilant demoness. Her muscular frame felt remarkably soft when pressed against my chest.


    ¡°Thank you, thank you, thank you! I promise I won¡¯t disappoint! You even got me a new customer!¡±


    I smiled awkwardly and patted her back, very aware of her dangerous, powerful mother watching the two of us with a growing smile. I also caught Mia¡¯s expression. The cat menace was not pleased, which was a whole new box to unpack, analyze, and figure out how I felt.


    Later.


    At the moment, I still had more happiness-ammunition to use against Yules.


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome, really. Also, two sergeants showed interest in your work. One of them is my commander, and the other his brother. I directed them to this shop, and they said they would definitely consider looking for you.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± She looked at me with such adorably wide eyes, I couldn¡¯t resist twisting the knife.


    ¡°Yep. The general, too. You know? Of the Torment Legion? Amazing guy. He saw your armor and thought it was very impressive. He mentioned he should come by to visit at some point.¡±


    Okay, maybe I was enjoying myself a little too much, but seeing her practically pass out then and there was fun.


    The young demoness broke into a string of muttered exclamations I couldn¡¯t understand, which earned me another displeased sigh from Mia. Thankfully, Yules¡¯ mother seemed to know exactly what to do. Tibath rolled her eyes, grabbed her daughter¡¯s shirt, and dragged her towards the back room.


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you begin discussing what kind of enchantments your customers might want?¡± she teased.


    This snapped Yules out of her daze. Her eyes lit up and focused on me, and I felt my own excitement surge. Enchantment fascinated me.


    It was especially fascinating now that I had a large enough budget to make it possible. Even without costly spells, Yules¡¯ armor had already kept me alive and helped me succeed.


    Now, with three thousand souls to play with?


    I was so very ready for that conversation.

 Chapter 67: Rest

    We soon found ourselves back in the same work area where I first met Yules and had my fitting. The young demoness was practically vibrating in place as she clutched a frustratingly modern notepad, her eyes doing a great impression of football stadium lights.


    ¡°So, first off¡­ what kind of design would you like? Full plate? Leather only? Ohhhh, would you like robes, maybe? Or something like your previous armor?¡±


    She was squeaking out offers so quickly that I felt the need to stop her, but before I could, she was done. Instead, I gave her an exasperated smile to which she was entirely immune.


    ¡°Like last time works. In fact¡­ think you could make armor that looks more or less identical, just enchanted? It would be a perfect way to rub it into the face of the guy who ruined the original set.¡±


    Yules¡¯ face went dark for a second, but the grimly vindictive smile that followed assured me she liked my suggestion.


    ¡°That works. That works great, actually! That was an inspired piece of armor, if I do say so myself,¡± she bragged, fully in her element now that she knew I was not going to replace her with her mother. ¡°Next is the matter of enchantments.¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ what sort of options would I have, for the amount of souls I¡¯ve got?¡± I ventured carefully, not sure what I could actually afford.


    The last time I was around, her mother had informed me that even her simplest work was way out of my budget. With Yules on the job, I still didn¡¯t need to worry about the premium a renowned smith would charge, but I assumed that enchantments weren¡¯t cheap, regardless.


    ¡°We have options,¡± she said firmly. ¡°The base armor set would cost around 500 souls, if I want to make it out of solid materials that can withstand good enchantments, so that does cut into your budget a little. But I¡¯m not charging you for the design process of a custom piece.¡±


    She held up a hand to silence my protests. ¡°It¡¯s not really a custom design if I¡¯m using the old base, right?¡±


    ¡°What about the enchantment schema?¡± I countered.


    By the way her eyes widened, I could tell she hadn¡¯t expected me to call her out on that. Unfortunately for her, or for me, really, I knew a bit more than a fresh recruit should.


    When I was serving under Glaustro before, one of my rewards for turning in a particularly valuable soul was a host of greater quality souls. Among them, I found a singular hidden gem which had allowed me to absorb Apprentice Enchantment Theory (Basic).


    Now, I would be the first to admit that demonic enchantment was probably leagues ahead of anything a mana-poor world like Berlis could offer. But some fundamental concepts had to carry over, right? One such concept was the idea of enchantment schemas.


    Enchanting an item was a complex process. Before you could begin engraving runes or entire runic matrixes onto the item at a conceptual level, you first had to plan out your work. If you just tried to dive in with no plan, the enchantments would begin conflicting with each other eventually and ruin the item.


    It wasn¡¯t just a matter of deciding which runes to use, and in what order. You had to calculate the maximum number of enchantments an item could hold based on its mana conductivity and material make-up. Then, you needed to determine and adjust the level of complexity you would use in every enchantment.


    Take something simple, like enchanting an item to light up and dim on command. That would require a whole runic matrix. A single ¡®light¡¯ rune would get the job done, but then the item wouldn¡¯t automatically draw mana from its environment to power the enchantment. It wouldn¡¯t accept mana properly if someone fed it in, either. It wouldn¡¯t be possible to turn the light on or off, or adjust the brightness.


    On and on the list went, and each specification just complicated the schema further. Oh, you could slap something together and call it a day. But it would waste your materials, barely work or be grossly inefficient, and might fall apart if you were too loud around it on the night of a full moon or some similar nonsense.


    Enchantment was kind of like coding, in a way. Except it happened in way more than three dimensions, relied on a substance that behaved differently based on ambient emotions, and was anchored in reality based solely on what, to me, were random symbols from a random ancient language, because fuck you, that¡¯s why. Any truly successful schemas were the work of generations of masters making small, incremental improvements.


    And while I only knew the bare bones of what went into it all, I could clearly see when someone was trying to undersell their work.


    My little moment of reflection bought the demoness enough time to gather herself.


    ¡°Listen,¡± she retorted, ¡°the schema are valuable, but I¡¯m nowhere near ready to make my own. This means we¡¯ll be working with my family¡¯s schemas. They¡¯re a bit rigid and will limit our options, but they¡¯ll do just fine, and it doesn¡¯t justify me charging you extra.¡±


    I mulled that over, but couldn¡¯t find it in me to protest more. I did need to budget carefully, and if she wouldn¡¯t have to spend hours bent over a desk designing the whole thing, I could be okay with it.


    ¡°What are our options, then?¡± I asked instead.


    ¡°Well, there are the basic ¡®mana resistance¡¯ and ¡®toughness¡¯ enchantments. They¡¯ll make it difficult for blades or spells to pierce your armor. Mana resistance will also make it hard for people to affect your armor directly with mana. In other words, it will prevent things like¡­ what happened with your old set.¡±


    My anger flared up with no warning at the reminder, and I gritted my teeth for a moment. Thankfully, what she was describing made me happy enough to push past the fury.


    ¡°That sounds amazing. How much would it be?¡±


    ¡°For the basic level enchantments? With the base armor included, the total would just about come up to 1000 souls. Past that, I can¡¯t recommend the automatic repair function enough. It¡¯s 500 souls all on its own, but it would be worth it.¡±Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    I considered that. I didn¡¯t know how to make those, because they were way past anything considered ¡®basic¡¯, but I knew about them. Such enchantments stored information about the armor¡¯s condition at the moment of their installation, then constantly compared the armor¡¯s current and original state. If damage occurred, the enchantment would use repair spells to return the armor to that original condition.


    I could technically learn the relevant spells myself, but there were a thousand and one other things I wanted to learn. I didn¡¯t have the correct spell guides, anyway.


    ¡°That¡¯s an easy yes,¡± I said. ¡°Won¡¯t always have the luxury of repairing my items in the field.¡±


    Yules beamed at me when she realized I liked her suggestions so far.


    ¡°Okay, that leaves us half your budget to play around with. We can do a strong barrier spell with a decent separate mana storage for it. Those are expensive. It would cost about 1000 souls outright. Finally, for the last 500 souls¡­ I think I can put together a decent last-ditch attack spell for you, and maybe an automatic cleaning function? The latter is both cheap and simple, so I don¡¯t mind just throwing it in. It¡¯s pretty much default.¡±


    I chewed on that. Honestly, it sounded interesting. However¡­


    ¡°You mentioned that the base protective enchantments and armor would cost 1000 souls, right?¡± She nodded, and I forged on. ¡°Then, I think I¡¯ll pass on the barrier. I can cast it myself. How about you put my extra 1000 souls towards Mia¡¯s armor instead?¡±


    The cat girl managed to keep her face relatively blank, but her ears shot up at the suggestion. Even her tail went still, pointing straight out behind her back.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s necessary. Those souls are yours to spend,¡± Mia assured me, though her voice definitely sounded conflicted.


    ¡°I am spending them,¡± I pointed out. ¡°Just not on myself. What¡¯s your budget like, if I don¡¯t help out?¡±


    Her cheeks colored. ¡°It is¡­ well¡­ I have around four hundred souls to spend,¡± she finished lamely, looking away.


    ¡°See? Better we spend those souls on something else. Besides, I really don¡¯t need the barrier when I have my shield spell.¡±


    Maybe I was fibbing a little. An outside reservoir of mana for the barrier would be nice. But I really preferred that Mia got more defense instead. Now that I had finally let myself care about the frustrating cat, as a friend of course, I was starting to worry. She was running around with papier-mach¨¦ quality armor, and it caused me no end of stress to think of her on a battlefield surrounded by demons or equivalent combatants.


    ¡°We can make that work,¡± Yules stated confidently, wearing a small smile. She had tilted her head in confusion when I first made the suggestion, but then her eyes lit up, and she started eying Mia speculatively. She either liked what she saw or was just excited to make a second set of armor, because she was practically bouncing in place to get started.


    ¡°Hayden, are you¡­ certain?¡± Mia asked carefully. She looked strikingly vulnerable all of a sudden.


    I blinked at her, tilting my head in imitation of Yules¡¯ gesture. ¡°Of course, I¡¯m sure. We decided to fight together, right? What happens to me if someone skewers you because your armor is just a bunch of mismatched pieces?¡±


    ¡°You really do need to get out of that armor.¡± Yules, the lifesaver, jumped in. ¡°It¡¯s not your size at all, and it¡¯s of abysmal quality.¡±


    I snickered, and she turned to me. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ Abyss, abysmal, wouldn¡¯t that imply the armor is actually good?¡±


    Yules¡¯ lips twitched before she forced them into a stern expression. ¡°Don¡¯t encourage her! She¡¯s going to get stabbed, and then I¡¯ll be stuck making armor for you only. Male armor sets are so standard and boring!¡± she complained, though her tone of voice betrayed that she was just teasing.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dream of it, great armorer of legend,¡± I said haughtily, earning myself a blush and a giggle that she tried to cover up with a glare.


    ¡°You are contributing nothing of substance.¡± Yules stuck out her hand. ¡°Your voucher, please. I might be family, but Mother isn¡¯t going to just hand me the materials I need to make this. She only covers my training materials. Going to need proof of purchase and upfront payment.¡±


    I handed over the gift voucher eagerly. It wasn¡¯t like I could pull the souls off it or use it anywhere other than in an armory. Not that I was desperate to get more souls that very minute, anyway. With the general¡¯s reward, I had more than enough to reach my ascension threshold, and plenty to spare besides.


    I also had my grimoire and dimensional bag, as well as my sword and my soul purse. I hadn¡¯t retrieved it yet, but my dagger was somewhere in the crate with what was left of my armor, so I was set when it came to weapons.


    The only thing I really needed was a healing potion or two. Well, and maybe some other support potions. And knowledge on spells and mana techniques. Unfortunately, potions could get ridiculously expensive, and knowledge of any kind came at a premium around demons. My best bet would be to earn it during invasions, or maybe find someone willing to train me a little more.


    All of that could wait. As I handed over the voucher, I had one more important request to make.


    ¡°Can we watch as you make our stuff?¡±


    To my surprise, she blushed and stammered, refusing to look me in the eye.


    ¡°Uh, s-s-sure.¡±


    I ignored the awkward moment. Mia just rolled her eyes and shot me a displeased look, so it was easy to move past it.


    It was even easier when Yules threw herself into her work. Just like before, the demoness infused every moment of the process with creative joy. Designs were sketched out, adjusted, and discarded. Enchantment schemas were considered, selected, discarded, and then selected again. Then, at last, the work on the armor started properly.


    None of it happened quickly, of course, and we weren¡¯t even there for all of it. Mia and I did have basic mortal needs, after all, even if Yules seemed capable of working nonstop with no repercussions. Besides, though we were on break and instructed to rest, it wasn¡¯t like Mia and I had nothing to do. We still trained lightly, absorbed mana to improve our cores, and even sparred a few times just to stay in top shape.


    I can honestly say I enjoyed that period of time immensely, especially when I got used to Passion a bit and could channel the layer¡¯s influence into productive endeavors rather than a curiosity high. It was a fascinating feeling, to have an endless well of energy, creativity, and desire pushing me onwards.


    Unfortunately, I didn¡¯t really learn much from watching Yules work. My knowledge of enchantments was limited to the basics of a lesser world. Hers was compiled from generations, refined and mastered in the layer of Passion. There was simply no comparison.


    Still, we were present for most of the process. Yules loved having us there, not just for input, but also for company. To be honest, I had a feeling the demoness was a bit lonely. She clearly loved her work, but it didn¡¯t exactly come with a lot of opportunities to socialize.


    So, on the day before the armor was finished, Mia and I were pressured into visiting one of the weird shell emporiums that were all over the place. I had spotted them back in the first city the demons conquered after my induction: enchanted shells, meant to function in any city containing a demonic obelisk, serving as communication tools.


    Well, both Mia and I were now proud owners of slightly advanced models. The shells set us back by fifty souls each, but they would let us contact Yules occasionally.


    Even so, when we departed the next day with our completed armor, Yules was reluctant to let us go. There was plenty of hugging to be had. I was surprised at how involved I got in all the affection, and that it wasn¡¯t only Mia Yules had grown fond of.


    All in all, as we made our way back to the local Apple Infernal branch, I could say I was content. I was carrying a box with my brand-new armor, we were not running late to the rendezvous with the rest of Glaustro¡¯s troops, and I had made an actual friend! Without even having to fight alongside them for our mutual survival!


    I could turn my gaze towards what was coming, safe in the knowledge that I was ready.


    As ¡®safe¡¯ as a recruit in a demonic army could be, of course.

 Chapter 68: The Unit

    Other than Bronwynn and Tybalt, the demon I met not so long ago, I didn¡¯t know anyone in Glaustro¡¯s official and brand new shiny unit. Mia didn¡¯t count. Obviously.


    When he took control of the unit I was originally part of, Glaustro did not have the leisure to choose his own men. He had come in to replace one Wilhelmina, a royal pain in my behind and the rest of my body besides.


    Wilhelmina had yoinked her batch of recruits and forced us, along with her demon troop, to march unreasonably hard in a wild attempt to win a ¡®bet¡¯ with her sister. Obviously, since these are demons we¡¯re talking about, the bet was a trap. It got Little Miss Nepo Baby temporarily demoted, and her post was given to Glaustro.


    This meant that all the demons under him were handpicked by Wilhelmina. Though Glaustro had managed to make things work, it was clear he regretted the arrangement more than once. He used some of the demons as aides or guards, but never the same ones for long. He didn¡¯t seem to trust or rely on them the way his brother did with his own troops.


    Now, this was probably due as much to Glaustro¡¯s many, many trust and identity issues as it was to the circumstances under which he became a sergeant. Still, I¡¯m sure he was thrilled to have the chance to assemble his own troop.


    I was glad for him, of course. He deserved it. But for me, this meant a brand new group of unfamiliar demonic personalities I would have to learn to navigate.


    So, it was with some trepidation that I approached the rendezvous point our brands had given us the day before.


    In the grand scheme of things, the rank of sergeant was neither too important nor too unimportant. It was just about in the middle. Digging into Hayden¡¯s memories had taught me the order of demonic army ranks: officer, lieutenant, captain, sergeant, major, colonel, lieutenant general, general.


    I had no idea how that translated into my previous world¡¯s military setup, and I didn¡¯t care. What I did care about was that, as leader of a division, Mercutio¡¯s father apparently bore the rank of lieutenant general. For this privilege, he had a compound almost as grand as the general¡¯s, and enjoyed plenty of other benefits, too.


    Glaustro obviously didn¡¯t quality for such treatment.


    What he did quality for was a small compound on the same street as the general¡¯s, near the plaza I woke up in. Apparently, that plaza was used only by official soldiers of the Legion of Torment, which vanishingly few recruits qualified for. Sergeant Glaustro¡¯s compound included a relatively nice barracks, a large training ground, some individual homes, and a small manor of his own.


    He had summoned us to the manor, but now that we were on the threshold of entering the compound, both Mia and I hesitated.


    It wasn¡¯t the two guards, who were watching us curiously from the entrance gate. It wasn¡¯t the overall atmosphere of violence and military toughness. No, what stopped us from entering was the fact that there wasn¡¯t a single other mortal around besides us.


    As we stood on the threshold, I kept eyeing the various demons who milled around the training field. Most of them were nothing to write home about. In other words, ¡®default¡¯ demons, whose disappointing lack of variety could be blamed entirely on their previous mortal status.


    Of course, exceptions existed.


    There was a demon with split scorpion tails that hung over his shoulders, dripping venom. The drops would splatter on his shoulders or arms occasionally, which I assumed is why he wore no shirt, but he could immediately use them to his advantage. Flicking them about or scooping them up with his daggers gave an instant boost to his threat level on the battlefield.


    There was also a demoness who had wings made of living flame. They typically stayed in the shape of wings, and I saw her fly with them, but she could also twist them into various forms. She could even detach them entirely and send them after someone in the shape of a small bird.


    Another curiosity was a demoness whose entire body looked to be made of some crystalline material. It only became apparent that the material was ice when I paid more attention to her tracks. She didn¡¯t wear any shoes, so every step left behind webs of frost and creaking ice. She also made for a stunning spectacle when the light struck her just right and sent rainbows cascading over everything.


    The final interesting demoness looked a lot like one of Mia¡¯s people, except instead of a cat, she resembled a bear. Her frame was bulky, and her hands and feet looked more like paws. She had a stumpy tail and enormous ears that swiveled constantly, on the lookout for strange sounds. Curiously, even though no one could deny the amount of demonic mana gushing out of her, she didn¡¯t have horns. In fact, the only identifying ¡®demon¡¯ markers were the mana and her eyes. They looked red and slitted, lit by an inner glow that refused to falter.


    My own enhanced eyes did another sweep of the training ground. Again¡­ no mortals.


    It bears repeating. Often.


    ¡°Can we help you two? Looking for something?¡±


    A surprisingly kind-looking demon turned from guarding the gates to face us fully. His compatriot, a sour demoness who really just looked like she wanted to get indoors and away from the layer¡¯s relentless torment, sighed and shook her head.


    ¡°Um, no,¡± I stammered. ¡°Actually, we were summoned here. Sergeant Glaustro had us sign on for his unit, so we were, you know, here to report.¡±If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    The sullen demoness came alive. ¡°Really? I thought neither of the two brothers approved of mortal recruits, though for different reasons. I did hear they were forced to pick some up for one reason or another. You the only ones who survived out of your batch?¡±


    ¡°Something like that. We got lucky, really.¡± I tried to pretend like I wasn¡¯t ready to jump fifty feet straight up the second someone startled me enough, like something out of a cartoon. ¡°Anyway, seen the sergeant around anywhere?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s currently out, I¡¯m afraid,¡± the first demon supplied. ¡°You can wait for him if you like. I promise you won¡¯t have any trouble from us. If you¡¯re here, it means you impressed him somehow.¡±


    ¡°Thanks,¡± I said, only mostly meaning it as we passed through the gates.


    To my regret, Bronwynn wasn¡¯t there to greet us, either. I did earn some brownie points when I asked around about him and learned that Bronwynn was quite popular among the unit. He was seen as something of an aide or advisor to Glaustro, and the big guy actually valued what the lower ranked demon had to say.


    As far as I was concerned, this was an amazing idea. Bronwynn had an extremely good head on his shoulders, and with Glaustro¡¯s backing, he could potentially accomplish a lot.


    Naturally, the sergeant¡¯s current absence gave all the newcomers time to gauge each other¡¯s levels. This meant that the show of everyone training was less real training and more¡­ show. Demons performed insane physical feats, displayed complicated bits of magic, and even preened with their equipment.


    The latter was rare. While everyone had a few pieces of nice equipment, I didn¡¯t see a well and truly kitted out demon among those gathered. They were, for lack of a better word, relatively fresh.


    Not as fresh as the demons who had accompanied us mortals in Berlis, of course, since I already knew those posts were used as a test of sorts. Want to prove you have what it takes to be a soldier in the Legion of Torment? Sure! Come show up, and we¡¯ll ship you off to a weak world where you can kill to your heart¡¯s content. Disappoint us with your lack of murderiness, though? Well, in that case, you¡¯re out.


    I wasn¡¯t sure how literal ¡®you¡¯re out¡¯ might actually be. In fact, of the demons who died on Berlis, Bronwynn was the only one I had seen alive again. Glaustro probably had something to do with this. What had Bronwynn done to get into the sergeant¡¯s good graces? Maybe I would ask him later.


    The atmosphere in the training yard, though? Now, that I could both understand and appreciate. These people were going strong despite the adverse conditions of the Torment layer.


    Even better, I could spot none of the fragmenting I had seen in Wilhelmina¡¯s troops. The demons in my original unit had immediately collapsed into cliques or ¡®solo rogues too cool for normal¡¯. Barely anyone was working together, they were all scrambling for their own souls, and more than a few were openly hostile to each other.


    Here, even when someone was defeated during sparring, this was typically met with applause and assurance about improvement, along with a few pointers from the victor. What a concept! Wilhelmina¡¯s troop would have been at each other¡¯s throats several days ago already, and the ass would have encouraged it.


    I felt the difference even in my own sense of relative safety. Now that I was pretty sure no one would stab me for my equipment, I was able to enjoy the envious glances the demons were giving me. I even allowed myself to perk up and strut a bit as we made our way towards the manor.


    I had to give it to Yules. This armor had turned out even better than my old set.


    It wasn¡¯t that the design itself was different. I had asked her to keep the armor looking the same, and the demoness had approved of my request. She was immensely proud of her creativity in putting that first set together, and rightly so.


    The only obvious addition was a blood-red headband, the same color as the feathers that made up my belt¡¯s decorations. It was unnaturally light, giving it an odd floating effect as it trailed behind my head whenever I moved.


    No, what really made the set stand out was its sheer quality, which was clearly visible even to an untrained eye.


    Every bit of the armor was spotless and practically shone. The leather gleamed in a dazzling way, the cloth bits looked like the softest thing you could ever dream of putting your hands on, and the feathers had such a vivacity to them that they looked like they might start dropping blood any second. The metal, too, was extremely impressive. It shone and reflected every source of light in a myriad of interesting ways.


    Best of all, the enchantments meant I would not need to worry about damage to the set, and my own cleaning spell would keep it looking spick and span.


    Mia¡¯s outfit was similar, and just as superbly crafted. Granted, hers wasn¡¯t as heavily enchanted, but she did have the basics that Yules had promised. She could even add enchantments in the future if she wanted, though Yules warned that her armor would not take to well to many new enchantments. Some of those had to be worked into the armor during its creation.


    That had been a shock for me. Berlis had no such enchanting methods, and everything was woven into an item after its creation. When I shared this with Yules, she didn¡¯t have a ton of good things to say about the mages of the world whose knowledge I had stolen.


    Still, that didn¡¯t discourage me from my intention to start working on my enchantment skills eventually. The only reason I hadn¡¯t tried some of the basic stuff already was a lack of materials and time.


    For materials, I didn¡¯t want to waste any of my souls before I learned about the world we were heading into next and what we could expect there. It would be awkward if I couldn¡¯t purchase some vital equipment to deal with an unknown environmental danger.


    For time¡­ I had judged it was better for me to prioritize spending those days off with Mia and Yules, instead of trying to puzzle out my stolen enchantment knowledge. Now that I was allowing myself to enjoy the company of others again, I could freely admit they were just plain fun to be around. Besides, Yules was a font of knowledge I would never be able to access easily out in the field.


    No, I didn¡¯t regret that decision one bit. Just like I didn¡¯t regret my decision to train and grow my mana on the side, despite all these distractions.


    This latter decision was validated when one of the demons, a younger member of the unit, stepped in our way with a grin.


    ¡°Well, hello there,¡± he purred. I had to blink when I realized that his assessing eyes were not lingering suggestively on only Mia¡¯s features. ¡°Would you two like to join us? I¡¯d be happy to spar. We need to¡­ get to know each other, after all.¡±


    I almost gaped at the blatant flirting, but I could also tell that the offer was genuine. So¡­


    ¡°You know what? I¡¯d love to.¡±


    The demon¡¯s smile lit up with mischief, and he swept an arm out towards a clear patch of the training ground. ¡°After you, then.¡±


    I ignored the way Mia was looking at me as my fingers clenched and unclenched around the handle of my sword.


    Maybe it was stupid, accepting a sparring offer like that. But everything I had done, everything I had achieved, was so I could at least create the illusion of keeping up with demons. Without that, I would never be able to claim the souls and other resources I needed. Not until I ascended, at least.


    So, when I turned to face the ¡®friendly¡¯ demon, it wasn¡¯t just healthy apprehension spooling in my chest.


    It was excitement.

 Chapter 69: Lagyel

    It was a heady yet terrifying thing to face a demon in combat, however friendly.


    The demon in question had dark green skin, or maybe emerald colored would be more appropriate. He also didn¡¯t have many ¡®extra¡¯ features, being a relatively basic demonic template with horns, hooves, and clawed hands. He didn¡¯t even have wings!


    He did, however, have a tail. Once I got a good look at this feature, it worried me more than a little.


    The tail was barbed.


    This was easy to miss when it just hung limp from the demon¡¯s back, waving back and forth languidly. However, the second we took combat stances, the thing shot up to hover over the demon¡¯s shoulder, quivering in place.


    I even saw a few drops of some viscous liquid drip down to the demon¡¯s shoulder, then roll off into the sand that covered most of the training area. The liquid hissed and bubbled, and I didn¡¯t like the molten look of the sand once the demon¡¯s poison was through with it.


    Or was it venom?


    The idle thought as I stared at the hypnotically waving tail was almost my downfall, because the demon shot at me with no warning.


    Only the fact that I was already running my mana in technique patterns saved me. The demon plowed into and through me as my form collapsed into a cloud of mana. I reformed a few steps away, three duplicates forming up and flanking me immediately.


    I hadn¡¯t been able to dodge out of the way of his charge at all. If we had clashed, it would have been me splattered all over the training ground, rather than my mana. Thanks to my recent advancement in Mia¡¯s movement technique, I had avoided the attack by changing places with one of my clones. But the feat was still difficult for me to pull off. My veins were literally burning from the mana influx I had forced them to withstand.


    ¡°Amazing! I thought for sure I¡¯d have you there!¡±


    The demon was smiling happily, and I realized he didn¡¯t see the attack as something potentially lethal to me. No, he was just testing out another new soldier in Glaustro¡¯s unit.


    The fact that his casual opening shot almost killed me was¡­ irritating. Painfully so. This is probably why I decided to commit rather than begging off from the spar and running for the hills.


    With an unholy amount of effort, I forced my mind to work at its fullest capacity and my body to withstand uncomfortable levels of mana as my techniques slammed into place.


    When I was in Berlis, no matter how swiftly I switched between techniques, I could never run more than one at a time. Now? I had three up, and they were straining every bit of my mind, soul and body.


    Mana was literally streaming off my skin in vaporous form, even if it was thankfully whisked away and integrated into my shield instead of wasted.


    My clones moved in perfect sync with me, spreading out to then converge on the demon from the trickiest angles I could manage.


    Finally, my muscles bulged and strained as I ran the strengthening technique to the limits of my current abilities, which had definitely evolved past the Basic level of what body strengthening could achieve.


    In other words, I moved faster than any regular mortal could track, was defended by the full force of my mana pool, and you couldn¡¯t even tell which of the four bodies was my true self hiding behind mirages of mana.


    The demon laughed.


    He struck his foot against the ground and launched himself through a clone. Twisting in a way that should have been impossible midair, he dodged two different sword slashes. At the very moment he landed, he spun and lashed out with frightening swiftness, eliminating another clone.


    I pursued, of course, pushing to capitalize on the moment of relative vulnerability. The good news was that I forced him to take one of my blows. Less impressively, when my sword slammed into his palm, the most I achieved was a minor spray of blood as I cut through the skin and was then halted by the layer of muscle underneath.


    For the first time in my life, my sword failed to cut right through a person¡¯s unarmored body.


    The moment I afforded myself to gape did cost me this time. The demon¡¯s leg sounded more like a whip as it displaced air and landed square on my chest. I was blown away, barely able to breathe, my shield cracked and starting to splinter.


    Anger erupted in me at my blatant failure, and I switched places with my clone before I could even hit the ground.


    The demon had started to pursue me already, grin etched on his face, when I silently drove my sword into his back with all the strength I could muster.


    I had the advantage of an ambush, along with all the anger and mana I could leverage. Even so, the sword sank a mere inch into the demon¡¯s back as my clone landed and skidded over the ground, still occupying the man¡¯s attention until he registered the pain. His head snapped almost 180 degrees around to face me.Stolen story; please report.


    I didn¡¯t let myself flinch this time. Instead, even as the demon lashed out, I once again switched places with my clone, whose entire body was pulverized into a cloud of mana the next instant. Pausing, the demon actually frowned as he inspected his fist, then the cut in his back.


    ¡°Even more impressive! I didn¡¯t think you could switch places with your clones like that, not so seamlessly. How does that technique work? I can see mana, but it¡¯s not letting me detect the difference between what¡¯s false and what¡¯s real.¡±


    Mia visibly perked up from where she was observing us in the crowd, but I didn¡¯t have it in me to engage in banter. Truth be told, I didn¡¯t have it in me to do anything but fight. Even my consciousness was starting to blur at the edges, reducing my perception to mere pinpricks when it came to everything and everyone other than the demon.


    I had drops of condensation all over my skin, but it wasn¡¯t sweat I was shedding so readily. It was mana. I was pushing so much of it through my body that whatever I failed to use was seeping out of my pores. This would have been a massive waste, if it weren¡¯t all flowing to my shield with minimal effort on my part.


    Back on Berlis? I wouldn¡¯t have been able to replicate such a feat. I would have emptied my reserves halfway through the clash, and then I¡¯d have been forced to scrape together whatever bits of mana I could rip out of the air or crystals.


    The Abyss had no such limitations. I noticed as soon as I started actively training: everything here was saturated by mana, to a ridiculous degree. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised to find mana crystals condensing randomly in fountains or even falling out of thin air.


    It was no wonder demons didn¡¯t value mana springs nearly as much as mortals did. Here in their homeworld, mana was an inexhaustible resource. It could power my techniques as long as I wanted. No, if anything gave out in these beneficial circumstances, it would have to be my body.


    My body, which already felt strained, pained, and on the verge of collapse.


    Of course, I couldn¡¯t just keep my mouth shut and take my loss gracefully.


    ¡°You haven¡¯t seen anything yet,¡± I managed to say, fully faking the confidence in my voice as I raised my sword again.


    The demon¡¯s smile widened. He looked ready to rush me again, though he was clearly holding back and giving me the right to attack first.


    I can¡¯t let this drag on. If I do, I¡¯ll make myself pass out, no need for anyone to knock me over the head. The only thing I can do is go in hard and¡ª


    My thoughts cut off as pain bloomed in my skull. Something knocked into the back of my head with enough strength to lay me out and force my face into the sand, hard. Hearing a boom, I peered up through bleary eyes to see the demon I¡¯d been fighting slide down to the ground from where he had crashed into the wall of the compound. His groans didn¡¯t make me feel better.


    ¡°How many times do I have to tell you idiots not to start trouble? But no, I leave for a while on an important meeting, and what do I see when I¡¯m back? One of you is trying to kill the mortal I recruited, and said mortal is trying to rush to his own death! Can you lot stop behaving like fucking stupid children?¡±


    Glaustro¡¯s voice echoed from above me. I barely managed to tilt onto my side and stare up at the demon, who speared me with a glare.


    I wasn¡¯t sure what to say. It wasn¡¯t because of the mild concussion he had given me. A flood of mana to my head made it tingle unpleasantly, but it got rid of any serious cognitive damage within moments. I was just¡­ speechless.


    ¡°Sorry, sir!¡± The demon jumped up with a grin fixed firmly on his lips. ¡°We were just sparring, I swear! No animosity or anything!¡±


    Seeing how easily the man got to his feet made me smile wryly as I picked myself up, too. He looked absolutely no worse for wear, while I felt like someone had torn all my muscles and nerves out and replaced them with burning wires.


    ¡°It¡¯s true, sir, it was just a spar,¡± I echoed awkwardly, not sure if I should even risk voicing my agreement.


    Glaustro eyed first me, then the other demon, before he snorted in dismissal. ¡°Forget it. I¡¯m not here to play a mother hen. That¡¯s my brother¡¯s method, and he¡¯s welcome to it. Still, I didn¡¯t bring you guys here to let you murder each other. We need to talk about our next assignment.¡±


    It was like a current passed through every single demon around us at those words. The good mood evaporated, replaced instantly by bloodlust, greed, and so many other emotions I couldn¡¯t identify. That I could faintly feel them at all was mildly concerning.


    ¡°We are ready, sir,¡± Tybalt declared, stepping up next to his superior with a determined gaze.


    The others echoed the sentiment, each in their own way. Some stepped forward aggressively, some voiced their agreement, and some were already reaching for weapons as if to draw them. Glaustro snorted again, though he looked considerably amused.


    ¡°That¡¯s good, but we won¡¯t be teleporting into battle immediately. We won¡¯t be teleporting today at all, which you would know if you idiots could keep track of the itinerary I sent you!¡±


    More than a few demons flushed and fidgeted, but none looked affronted or upset, which I was still not used to. They just tamped down their enthusiasm a little and proceeded like nothing had happened.


    Already, I was loving my new unit.


    ¡°Where are we headed, exactly? Tryglaph? Ferlorn?¡± Bronwynn melted out of the crowd, offering up a few guesses. A few demons echoed him, most seeming to favor his first suggestion.


    ¡°Neither, I¡¯m afraid,¡± Glaustro replied, and he actually did look regretful as he spoke. ¡°We¡¯ll be heading off to Lagyel.¡±


    The proclamation was met by silence, one which was swiftly interrupted by excited chatter. Judging by the happy glow on the demons¡¯ faces, this was supposed to be great news, but I just felt confused.


    My expression made Bronwynn sigh and shake his head as he approached me.


    ¡°What¡¯s so special about Lagyel?¡± I whispered to the demon.


    Then I flushed in overwhelming embarrassment as nearly every eye turned to look my way, including Glaustro¡¯s.


    Right¡­ demonic senses.


    ¡°Lagyel is a world the legion discovered several months back, before your initiation invasion, in fact,¡± Glaustro explained. ¡°The world is powerful, and rich in resources. However, the local resistance is, well¡­ far more fierce than anyone could have imagined. So, the general has ordered all available units to reinforce the world, regardless of level or competence. The only ones spared are recruits, which is probably why you didn¡¯t end up there for your initiation, too.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t lie and say the news didn¡¯t excite me. The fact that demons described the world as resource-rich was telling. Then again, my greed was tempered by equal amounts of trepidation.


    Glaustro hadn¡¯t come out and said it, because demons tended to cling to their pride even when it didn¡¯t help them, but the fact that resistance was ¡®fierce¡¯ on that world meant that our side wasn¡¯t winning. At least, we weren¡¯t winning as cleanly as we should have. Considering how ludicrously strong demons were and that they could resurrect, this was concerning.


    Still, as my eyes landed on Mia¡¯s to see my excitement mirrored in their warm pools, I couldn¡¯t bring myself to be worried. We had that advantage too now, after all. No more fearing death. No more cowering at every threat.


    I wouldn¡¯t throw my life away, obviously, but I was finally ready for more than just a scramble for my life. I was ready for a true adventure.


    I was ready to invade Lagyel.

 Chapter 70: The Sand

    As I stood in another plaza, waiting, I couldn¡¯t help but reflect on recent events.


    The previous day, Glaustro had handed out final orders and recommendations. He then dismissed us with a command to return to his compound the following morning at eight o¡¯clock sharp.


    Mia and I immediately followed his orders to the letter. That meant hunting down the closest equipment shop and purchasing several items that would make functioning on Lagyel possible: a set of goggles, an odd, mask-like air filtering device, and a large poncho that covered most of one¡¯s body and came with a hood.


    The total cost came to 200 souls, 100 per set, and it was only that cheap because it was standard kit for Lagyel. I gladly paid for both myself and Mia, even if it made the cat girl shoot me disapproving, embarrassed looks.


    If it was standard, perhaps the legion should have provided it for free. But it seemed to be yet another way for the demons to separate ¡®worthy¡¯ additions to an invasion from those who didn¡¯t deserve to be there. Which, frankly, yeah. A hundred souls should be nothing to a demon. The inability to afford that much would not speak well for their abilities.


    What confused me more was that, apparently, even demons were ordered to gear up in these. I couldn¡¯t for the life of me figure out why. Their natural toughness should turn any environmental danger into a trivial matter, so the precautions seemed excessive.


    Several demons had brought up the same protest when Glaustro told us to acquire all the gear, and were swiftly silenced. The sergeant seemed to take a perverse amount of glee in telling them they would understand soon enough, and that anyone who disobeyed would regret it.


    So, the next morning, there I was, herded from the compound to a small nearby plaza where a bored clerk waited with a clipboard.


    Unlike the last time I was preparing to invade a world, I actually knew what I was signing up for. Likewise, I wasn¡¯t part of a charging, screaming mob set on nothing but murder, fueled by an invasive command that twisted my mind into a turmoil of rage and desperation.


    In a way, it was all¡­ mundane.


    There was no grand speech. No threats or promises of pain if we failed. Just a clerk who kept ticking things off, then proceeded to pull a black crystal from a pouch very carefully before tossing it into the middle of the small plaza.


    The crystal cracked, and a surge of black energy snapped out in a corona that sliced through space itself. Several seconds later, the view stabilized into an expanse of sand¡­ and nothing else.


    No one made a move to pass through the portal. I could only stare blankly as the wind picked up and scattered some golden grains of sand onto the ground of the plaza. The clerk gave all of us a very displeased glare.


    It was Glaustro who finally urged us to action, even though the big demon himself didn¡¯t seem all that enthused by the prospect.


    ¡°Well, let us be off.¡±


    He rumbled the order, then pulled on all the equipment he already had hanging off him. The poncho went up, swiftly followed by the goggles and the breather.


    I tried not to gawk at my commander. If he was taking things so seriously, then¡­


    I equipped myself quickly, ignoring the discomfort it caused. The breather was a piece with a short tube you stuck in your mouth, and it seemed to rely entirely on that to stay on top of your face. I was getting better at being in Torment, but gripping that short tube sent pain stabbing through my skull. The goggles and the poncho started itching immediately, worse than any regular clothes.


    At least I was getting into the right mindset. The combination of Torment with my new gear did, indeed, make me want to kill something.


    Demons filed through the portal reluctantly. I could see them stumbling and shivering on the other side, so it was with some dread that I crossed over myself.


    I hated Lagyel immediately.


    The sun beat down on us mercilessly, reflected on all sides by a sea of swirling sand. The sand itself felt like graters running over every bit of exposed skin, and I genuinely wished to hop back over into Torment for a second. Unfortunately, since Mia and I were among the last to step through, the portal slammed shut behind me.


    That¡¯s when the feeling of weakness hit me like a sledgehammer.


    I groaned and clutched at my chest as my heart and mana core stuttered. It felt like some invisible giant was squeezing down on me, assessing me, judging me. The giant must have found me unworthy, because it proceeded to squeeze down tighter, trying to force the life out of me.


    Except, a second before it could, the link that connected me to the Abyss pulsed in the depths of my being. Angry energy exploded into my body, shoving back the relentless pressure.


    My eyes snapped open, though I couldn¡¯t remember closing them in the first place, and I beheld more than a dozen golden chains wrapped around me. More than half of them started to glow red and disintegrated on the spot, but many still lingered, cutting into my flesh, constraining me, making me feel weak.


    I hurriedly dove into my mana core, and I didn¡¯t like what I found there.


    My regular mana was just fine, but the demonic fifty percent of me was¡­ dimmed. Made lesser. It was like looking at a picture you knew was supposed to be vibrant and beautiful, only to find the colors faded to nearly nothing under unrelenting sunlight.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    I managed to recover enough to glance around me, and I saw those same golden chains around every single demon in Glaustro¡¯s unit, including the sergeant himself. In fact, their restraints were far more numerous, constricting them even more tightly than mine bound me.


    The only exception to all this was Mia. The cat girl had startled when the chains manifested around her, but they broke and fizzled out almost instantly, like they had failed to grasp onto anything at all.


    Everyone¡¯s chains were rapidly vanishing from sight. I couldn¡¯t touch them even when I reached out. My hand passed through them like a mirage, but I was under no illusions that they weren¡¯t real. They were disappearing, but they weren¡¯t gone. I could still feel them, after all, winding about my soul.


    Wow, everyone is a mess, I thought idly, looking at the demons in various states of pain and misery. Several had even fallen over, twitching in agony.


    To my shock, Glaustro erupted into laughter. ¡°Please, don¡¯t tell me you¡¯ve only ever invaded weak worlds before? Ha! Welcome to a real invasion, troops. Know that the world itself will oppose you from here on out. You will need to adapt to being here, slowly, and break those chains on your own. If you can.¡±


    Having said that, the sergeant flexed. His exertion briefly made his chains materialize again, only for several to crack under his strength and fade away as motes of light, for real this time.


    There was plenty of grumbling as the demons picked themselves up. It amused me that I was taking the development much better than they were. I definitely felt the effects of the chains, make no mistake, but my fifty percent of lingering humanity was doing wonders for me.


    What wasn¡¯t doing wonders for me was all the sand.


    It was easy to ignore initially, when the shock of the chains and the world¡¯s suppression had me preoccupied, but it was getting harder to do so by the second. I felt like the grains of sand were cutting into something deeper than just my skin. Despite the blazing sun, I felt a shiver of fear run down my spine.


    Almost on instinct, a shield popped up around me. My body strengthening technique came to life also, giving me a much needed physical boost to withstand all the nonsense.


    So imagine my surprise when grains of sand slashed right through my protections, then crashed into my skin, utterly ignoring the mana woven into that as well. I could do little more than stare in disbelief as my mana shield was obliterated rapidly by the countless grains of sand, one tiny hole at a time.


    I flexed my mana, regenerated the missing bits, and then tripled the amount I was using to shore myself up, but it did me no good. The sand just continued to pierce through with laughable ease. My eyebrow started to twitch in agitation.


    If I can¡¯t protect myself, then¡­


    In that moment, I realized exactly how miserable my experience in the world of Lagyel was going to be.


    Another shiver of fear coursed through me, this time at the thought of what sand like this would have done to my eyes. As it was, my body¡¯s passive toughening was the only reason rivulets of blood weren¡¯t running down every exposed patch of skin I had. While the sand had no trouble cutting through mana, my enhanced, ¡®naturally¡¯ denser skin stopped the grains flat easily enough. Eyes, however, weren¡¯t as significantly affected by advancement through mage ranks. Neither were lips, for that matter. Or the inside of one¡¯s mouth.


    I shuddered to think what it would be like to breathe without proper protection on this hellish world. At least the legion¡¯s interest made a ton of sense. If the underlying value of the sand wasn¡¯t enough, then the sheer torment of living on a planet like this definitely would be.


    Our glorious supreme leader probably took one look at the world and creamed himself in ecstasy at the sheer inspiration it imbued him with, or something.


    The thought made me scowl. I hated the fact that we just might pop back into Torment to find it completely covered in howling sand.


    I shivered uncontrollably, then jumped when a mental presence pushed itself insistently into my thoughts.


    It was the voice of my commander, speaking directly into the minds of his troop.


    ¡°As you can probably surmise, Lagyel is a desert world. The relevant divisions still haven¡¯t figured out if the mana dampening and cutting effect is a natural property of the local sand, or if the trait is imbued into the sand by the local defenders. We would need to do extensive digging to find out, but the volume of sand available for research and crafting is already valuable on its own.¡±


    Glaustro looked mightily amused as he eyed the demons around him, all of whom were flinching and tightening their ponchos to minimize their exposure to the sand. Gazing at them myself, I realized the sand, like the chains, was affecting them even more than it was bothering me. Some of the demons were visibly bloodied already.


    ¡°The problem is, this sand is particularly troublesome for us to face. As beings largely composed of mana, it is a natural weakness of ours. So, you will need to work on your healing and defenses while we are here. I warmly recommend enchanted equipment, too, especially with self-mending properties. Otherwise, you run the risk of letting the sand wear away on your equipment until its enchantments fail.¡±


    I grimaced. Having seen the way Yules worked, I knew her enchantments were sunk deep into each item, protecting them from damage. However, seeing as the sand could so easily slice through mana, I sincerely doubted that my equipment had more than its natural toughness to face the damnable grains with. Glaustro¡¯s warning certainly rang true. If the sand could to enough damage to armor or weapons, then it would eventually destroy all their enchantments.


    This thought made me draw my sword from its scabbard in a panic. The soul blade was the most valuable thing I owned, and if the sand could just damage it into uselessness¡­


    Thankfully, it only took a few seconds of examination while demons groaned around me to realize that I was worrying for nothing. Unlike my barrier and my armor, the blade didn¡¯t seem affected at all. It stood impervious in the face of the sand deluge, its soft green metal glowing as all the grains ricocheted off it harmlessly. Hells, as some of them landed on the edge of the blade, I watched the weapon slice them apart effortlessly.


    Now, there¡¯s an interesting thing to keep in mind.


    I frowned in consternation.


    So far, my sword had shown such effectiveness only against souls. It could slice through them, and the flesh they were tied to, with reckless abandon. But metal, wood, and other such materials? My sword was no more effective against them than a regular, somewhat dull blade would be.


    So, if it¡¯s cutting the sand, does that mean the sand¡­ has a soul? That it¡¯s alive, somehow?


    I pondered briefly, then decided to dismiss the idea for the time being. Even if it was somehow true, which I found highly doubtful, I could do nothing about it at the moment. Was I supposed to go around slashing at the sandstorm? What would that achieve?


    Besides, I didn¡¯t have any proof that the large grains of sand my sword had sliced through were truly ¡®harmed¡¯ by it. If the weapon somehow stopped their anti-mana properties, then maybe the information could be valuable, but I didn¡¯t even know how to go about testing that theory.


    Instead of wasting my time on that, I did as my commander bid. I dropped the strengthening and the shield, then drew heavily on my body refinement technique. Focusing it on my skin alone allowed me to heal quickly from the sand¡¯s minor abrasions, and even toughen up my defenses further.


    Of course, that made me realize the best approach would be to just strip down and let the sand have a go at me, so as to strengthen the entirety of my skin all at once.


    Which left me with a question: was I enough of a masochistic to do something like that, for an unknown and strictly potential boost to my toughness?

 Chapter 71: The Oasis

    I didn¡¯t strip down in xianxia hero fashion to cultivate myself against the rigors of the sand. I wish I could say it was because I had no intention of striving for the heavens, being halfway into hell already. Unfortunately, the main reason was my lack of desire to be nude in public. Again.


    Thankfully, our suffering didn¡¯t last long. It turned out our entry into Lagyel was meant as both a minor test and a warning to all invading demons. When we stepped through the portal, we couldn¡¯t see anything beyond a desolate expanse of endless sand stretching to the horizon. But all we had to do was turn around to spot civilization a short distance away.


    The sight of my first local city was¡­ odd. There were buildings, obviously, but they were both few and very short. I counted only six domes, rising barely two stories above the surface level of the sand.


    At least they were all painted in fantastical colors. Reds, blues, and greens spilled over the domes in stunning fractal patterns. The hues were so vivid that they captured and kept the attention of any observer. Even demons didn¡¯t seem immune. There was something about the colors that called to me on a spiritual level, appealing to a base level of my consciousness.


    It didn¡¯t take me long to puzzle out why. The buildings were a beacon within the desert. In an environment where it was difficult to see very far, they stood out like a sore thumb. The vibrant domes told everyone in the vicinity exactly where safety could be found and where civilization persisted.


    This must have been invaluable for the inhabitants of this desert wasteland, but in a time of invasion, it was an obvious weakness. If all their settlements were like that, I had little doubt the demons could easily zero in on them. And once discovered, I didn¡¯t think the locals could hold out for very long.


    Thanks to my enhanced ¡®fifty percent ascension¡¯ eyesight, I got a solid view of the city¡¯s interior as we approached. My first impression was disappointment. I couldn¡¯t make out a single street, shop, or stall. All I could see were the colorful domes, which had no doors or windows, and some sparkling construct in the middle. Of course, I understood that lively commerce was impossible in the middle of a sandstorm, but this didn¡¯t explain the lack of any amenities.


    ¡°This way.¡±


    Glaustro¡¯s voice echoed in our heads as we reached the city. He led us towards the closest dome, walked right up to it, and knocked on the seamless exterior. We stood there for several tense seconds. The wind picked up, sending ever more sand to literally grate on us, before something finally changed.


    The dome emitted a low-pitched whine, and then a whole section of it slid back and to the side, revealing an entrance. Glaustro motioned with his hand for us to follow, and we eagerly complied.


    I must admit, the first moment of the wind and sand dying away was¡­ a relief. I hadn¡¯t noticed how much the constant whine of the wind was getting to me, and the absence of pain was a truly wondrous thing.


    We were in some sort of long, cramped tunnel. I guessed this was the wall of the dome, which had to be thick to protect the interior from the sand. From up ahead, a voice echoed oddly, drawing my eyes to a pink-skinned demon standing by the tunnel¡¯s other end.


    ¡°Welcome, sergeant.¡± The demon bowed. ¡°I¡¯m relieved to see you. We haven¡¯t had more trouble with the locals, but reinforcements are always welcome.¡±


    ¡°You realize that we cannot stay here, correct?¡± Glaustro crossed his arms instead of accepting the greeting. ¡°We have our orders, and they are definitely not to act as guards.¡±


    The demon chuckled as he rose from his bow, but he didn¡¯t contradict Glaustro. ¡°Of course. We only hope for your support while you are here. I hope we won¡¯t need it, but it is a relief nonetheless.¡±


    ¡°Hmm. I was told you have arranged our lodgings for the duration of our stay? And that the local quartermaster will be able to assist us with our supplies?¡±


    ¡°Correct. We have a decent flow of goods moving to and from the Abyss, so you won¡¯t find our hospitality lacking. As for lodgings, we have you set up in barracks number four. They have been reserved for you and your troops alone.¡±


    Glaustro nodded and relaxed fractionally, which told me the posturing was done with. For now, of course.


    He motioned carelessly at the demon. ¡°Very well, lead the way.¡±


    Without another word, the pink-skinned demon turned and vanished through the tunnel¡¯s other end. As we followed him through into a wide-open space, I looked up and caught my breath.


    The interior of the dome was like a honeycomb. Walkways wound around the interior wall and stretched across the open space. The walls were lined with nooks, used for shops and living quarters in a dizzying array of styles and colors. The locals seemed set on decorating everything as vibrantly as possible, and the inside of their domes followed the same vivid pattern as the outside. The colors glowed in the light of torches and gems embedded into the walls, warmly illuminating the hive-like interior.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!


    What really shocked me, however, was the presence of said locals. There were crowds of them milling around the inside of the dome. Some ran the many shops and stalls, some were serving or following demons, and a notable few just¡­ stood there, staring blankly straight ahead.


    This last category was the most fancily dressed, draped in silks so colorful and abundant that they were practically drowning. Occasionally, a demon would approach one of these silk-clad locals. As soon as the demon addressed them, it was like they came alive from some dormant state. They wouldn¡¯t speak, but they turned immediately and led the demon who had engaged them through the confusing maze of the dome¡¯s interior.


    The locals were also definitely not human.


    Oh, they had the general humanoid shape, and they didn¡¯t possess extra limbs or eyes or ears. But their skin was notably alien. They looked like they were clad in a tough exoskeleton of rock or some kind of mineral.


    I could immediately tell there was a whole culture built around their appearance. Some, the most shoddily dressed of the locals, looked to have skin made of common rock or other base materials. Those who were better off had more delicately textured skin. They glittered in a way that reminded me of watching sunlight play across sand. Finally, those richly dressed few who seemed dazed out of their minds had actual crystalline skin, sparkling in the glow of torchlight and reflective gems.


    I couldn¡¯t stop myself from staring.


    I had expected to find myself surrounded by a predominantly non-human mortal race eventually. Still, I was finding the experience difficult. The locals of Lagyel were just different enough to trigger my dysphoria, while simultaneously so familiar that spotting their differences was a shock every single time.


    But that wasn¡¯t the only problem at play here.


    ¡°How come they¡¯re just¡­ walking around, free?¡± The question just slipped out. I wasn¡¯t even sure who I was asking.


    ¡°Startling, isn¡¯t it?¡± It was the demon who greeted us that answered me, his skin color throwing me off all on its own with its similarity to Bronwynn¡¯s. ¡°No collars, no force required, yet we have a perfectly obliging populace to support our invasion!¡±


    ¡°How?¡± As she tended to do around strangers, Mia defaulted to short sentences.


    ¡°Well, simply put, this isn¡¯t unusual for them,¡± our demonic guide replied, making me blink in confusion. ¡°How much do you know about Lagyel?¡±


    ¡°Not nearly enough, for a world that has given us so much trouble,¡± Glaustro rumbled, looking distinctly displeased. ¡°I understand there are jinn involved?¡±


    ¡°That is correct, and I must apologize if your briefing was¡­ insufficient. We are doing our best to prevent information leakage, but it is an uphill battle when dealing with a race like that. To put things simply, mortals on Lagyel are used to serving a higher power.¡±


    ¡°The jinn are not uncommon here then, I take it?¡±


    And didn¡¯t Glaustro sound profoundly unhappy asking that particular question¡­


    The pink-skinned demon nodded. ¡°Yes, they are. The ancestors of modern Lagyel mortals were reckless in their dealings with the jinn. They made requests without any consideration for the future, even wishing for lasting peace and prosperity. This eventually put them into such deep karmic debt that the jinn took over the world as its overseers.¡±


    ¡°Careless,¡± was Glaustro¡¯s profound response, leaving me even more confused.


    Hayden¡¯s training gave me nothing useful about this situation. Oh, he had vaguely heard about jinn during his studies, but he learned no details about them. In fact, I thought the memories from my own past life might be more useful than Hayden¡¯s, if I could just get some a bit of clarifying information.


    But before I could question our guide further, we reached a spiral staircase set into the floor and started descending deeper into the ground. I was a little reluctant to do so, especially as we passed through several yards of solid stone, but then my worries were blown away.


    The stairs didn¡¯t lead to a cramped underground chamber or dank cave.


    Instead, they opened up onto a sprawling sandstone city bathed in light.


    The sunshine was streaming through a massive glass dome high overhead. This was the crystalline structure I had seen amidst the colorful domes above ground. I could spot five more entrances into the ¡®underground¡¯ city from the other five domes, but they were a fair distance away.


    The city was a beautiful sight, sparkling and glittering like the skin of the locals. No two buildings were the same, and they all bore beautiful engravings, elaborate paint, or cloth tastefully attached to facades. Most importantly, the entire area was pleasantly cool, and I could feel the life-giving moisture in the air beading on my skin.


    The cause of these pleasant sensations was easy enough to spot: right in the middle of the city was a massive oasis. Plant life flourished there wildly. Water gushed from the small lake, stretching in all directions through meticulously maintained canals. The whole city was a testament to what could be achieved when designing a settlement around natural features instead of insisting on rigid guidelines.


    It was as inspiring as it was saddening.


    Inspiring, because I didn¡¯t think I would come across another world that employed a similar philosophy any time soon. Saddening, because the original inhabitants of the city had been cast out to live in the domes above. The city was full of demons, walking, lounging in outdoor seating areas, or hawking their wares from so many stalls that some streets were almost impassable.


    Images of what had happened to Berlis flashed through my mind, and I fought down a wave of bitterness.


    I really need to stop feeling sorry for every culture whose death I contribute to.


    Then I spotted the signature black obelisk near the city¡¯s heart, and the dome of the Absorption Station close by. It was the latter that set my heart pounding inside my chest.


    After all, knowing I was an active participant in the death of an entire world clarified exactly how far I was willing to go for personal gain. At that point, any feelings of regret or doubt felt more disingenuous than anything.


    As beautiful as the city was, and as excited as I felt to be facing action soon, I could remember Glaustro¡¯s promise well enough. With our arrival on Lagyel, it was time for him to follow the general¡¯s orders and give Mia and me more information on ascension.


    If he verified my suspicions and confirmed that maxing it out was worth it, then I was going to do so as soon as possible. I had little doubt I would receive more warnings about the process, but I had already made my stance clear to the general. To back away would potentially be seen as an insult, so even without considering my own desire for power, it wasn¡¯t a valid option.


    I glanced at Mia, just to check how she was reacting. The cat girl looked composed, but I knew her well enough at that point to catch the hints. The tip of her tail was slashing wildly through the air, giving away her own nerves.


    Neither of us was willing to wait much longer.

 Chapter 72: Whispers of Power

    The pink-skinned demon quickly led us to our lodgings, a small compound at the very edge of the shadows encroaching on the city from all sides. The compound was just barely within reach of the light seeping through the glass dome up above, and it would have been hellishly hot if not for the adjacent water canal. Thanks to this canal, which carried the benefits of the oasis out through the city, our lodgings were quite comfortable.


    The compound didn¡¯t contain much in the way of buildings, just two large dorms for soldiers and a small standalone house for a commander. Since Glaustro¡¯s unit contained a thousand soldiers in total, we filled out the two dorms to near capacity.


    The dorms were not segregated based on gender, which is how Mia and I ended up sharing a room. Honestly, more than anything, I felt reassured to have her near. After everything we had gone through together, I knew I could trust her, unlike all the new faces around me.


    Once inside the refuge of our room, we could shed the uncomfortable gear at our leisure. Taking off the breathing mask was a relief, since I definitely didn¡¯t enjoy the sensation of biting onto the mouthpiece to keep it in place. Likewise, while the goggles had protected my eyes, bits of sand had stuck to their edges, consistently irritating my skin.


    On the topic of sand, I had to cast my cleaning spell on myself a grand total of four times before I managed to get rid of it all. The spell could barely influence the stuff to roll away from me, and those grains that were stuck deep inside my clothes were not playing nice. Once I was finally done, I had to repeat the process for a pouting Mia, who just kept looking at me forlornly.


    I was finishing my fifth and hopefully final cast of the spell on her when there was a knock on our door.


    ¡°Who is it?¡± I asked cautiously, my mind immediately creating a list of potentially unfavorable encounters.


    To my immense relief, I instantly recognized the voice of our visitor. ¡°It¡¯s Bronwynn. Glaustro sent me to fetch you two.¡±


    I strode across the room to pull the door open, bringing me face to exhausted face with one of my favorite demons. ¡°We can go right now,¡± I said, then hesitated and glanced at Mia. ¡°Right?¡±


    The cat lady just rolled her eyes and sauntered up to me, carefully moving her limbs around as she did so to make sure there was no more sand stuck in her clothes or armor. When she realized there wasn¡¯t, seeing as it all lay in a small pile on the floor, she smiled and nodded.


    ¡°Follow me, then,¡± Bronwynn grumbled, rolling his own shoulders experimentally. ¡°I swear, I thought boredom was bad, but I think I almost prefer my life before the legion if we¡¯re going to be spending more time out in that blasted sand.¡±


    I winced, then took him in again. There were faint lines on his face and hands from where the sand had scored grooves into his skin, and bits of blood flecked his clothing. ¡°That bad?¡±


    ¡°You have no idea. Maybe I¡¯ve been spoiled, but¡­ it¡¯s been a while since something hurt me so easily. And it¡¯s sand. It¡¯s not even an enemy I can fight,¡± the demon continued to grumble, his eyes full of anger and resentment.


    I couldn¡¯t resist a small smirk. ¡°Trust me, I know how it feels to be vulnerable to the weather. We don¡¯t all have the leisure of being practically immune to temperature changes, you know.¡±


    Bronwynn turned to glower, but unlike with most other demons, I didn¡¯t detect any real intention to cow me into submission. ¡°You need to mind your words a bit more, brat. I swear, you¡¯re kind to someone once, and they think they can talk to you however they like.¡±


    I just grinned wider, which made the demon scowl and look away. Protest and bluster he might, but for better or worse, Bronwynn was genuinely kind. I knew that firsthand.


    My relaxed mood vanished as we approached Glaustro¡¯s lodgings. I knew there was no need to fear casual cruelty from the commander, but this conversation would impact my future like no other, so I couldn¡¯t help the anxiety.


    Bronwynn knocked on the front door once, then simply opened it and motioned us through.


    ¡°You¡¯re not coming in with us?¡± I asked.


    He shook his head, then pointed inside again. I took a deep breath and walked in.


    The commander¡¯s house was much better appointed than the dorms. Our assigned rooms were bare bones, little more than a bed and a desk in each. Glaustro¡¯s temporary home, on the other hand, had plush carpets, tapestries hanging from the walls, and what looked like sinfully comfy chairs and couches in practically every corner.


    The demon sat on one such couch, sipping from a teacup. A kettle steamed on a coffee table in front of him. His eyes tracked us impassively as we entered, flicking briefly to the sofa across from him as our only hint at what was expected of us.


    We sat, of course, then stewed in the silence for a minute or two as he continued to sip tea.


    ¡°Before we begin with¡­ heavier topics, was there something you would like to ask me? Perhaps about this campaign?¡±


    I didn¡¯t expect the sudden offer, and it threw me for a loop. Glaustro smirked at the surprise on my face.


    ¡°Don¡¯t look so shocked. As you might have noticed, I don¡¯t make a habit of recruiting mortals. You are an exception, and your friend here was a decent addition. I decided to extend an offer to her because of you. However, most of my other soldiers have sources and acquaintances that would clue them into what¡¯s happening on Lagyel, at least vaguely. You have no such sources to draw on, so I thought I could offer some help.¡±


    I considered that for a second. While the demons were shocked about the sand, I realized in hindsight that they hadn¡¯t reacted to what Glaustro was discussing with our guide, nor did they seem surprised by the underground city.


    Come to think of it, they might even have been warned about the sand, yet decided to ignore it in a typical display of demonic arrogance.


    Before I could recover, Mia beat me to the punch. ¡°What are the jinn?¡±


    Glaustro smiled at her and shook his head, as if amused that she would speak out of turn when he hadn¡¯t addressed her personally.The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    ¡°They are, in a way, like us. A mana-based species, immortal by birth and imbued with great power. The trick with jinn is that they don¡¯t rely on war and conquest to worm their way into a world.¡±


    ¡°There was mention of wishes,¡± I supplied, remembering all the stories from my former world about twisted wish-granting.


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s how they do it. When they first manifest in a world, they look for eager idiots and offer their services. They have the innate ability to conjure nearly anything with magic, but the twist is that they can only use the full extent of their power to grant the desires of others. They start small, at first. A bit of gold here, a healing miracle there. But it ramps up quickly, if they are allowed free reign.¡±


    ¡°How does that result in a conquered world, though?¡±


    Glaustro sighed, closing his eyes as he leaned back in his seat. He took another sip of his tea.


    ¡°You need to understand, while magic can be studied, a lot of it is¡­ conceptual, symbolic, and quite thoroughly mystical. Take Berlis, for example. By opposing us, that mad mage seized the power to represent her entire world. With the World Will¡¯s backing and the acknowledgement of the greatest kingdom in the world, she became the world¡¯s Champion. When the general killed her, it was easy for him to lay claim to the whole world in the name of the legion.¡±


    I nodded hesitantly, filing this new knowledge away. ¡°So¡­ all the jinn need to do is make a deal with a person who represents the world they¡¯re in?¡±


    ¡°Yes and no. They build up to it, as I said. They grant someone wealth, then influence, then power, until that individual becomes the world¡¯s chosen Champion. They don¡¯t just target a single person, of course. They spread their bets out. Once they have their hooks in the most influential local, they tempt that mortal into making a wish. Something like ¡®secure my reign¡¯, or ¡®guarantee my safety¡¯, or what have you.¡±


    ¡°And they regret their wish almost immediately?¡± I guessed, quirking a brow.


    Glaustro laughed. ¡°Of course. If they ask for safety, an army of jinn descends and takes control of the world, policing it. If they ask for immortality, they might find themselves caught in magical amber, preserved for eternity while the jinn rule in their place. They¡¯re tricky things, jinn, and always willing to twist a wish. They encourage the wisher to escalate more and more until they¡¯re in over their head.¡±


    We fell silent, each nursing our own thoughts. I was personally caught up in comparing this information to the stories from my old world. In that life, I was always convinced magic was a fantasy. A thing of dreams and imagination. With all I knew now, though¡­ how much had I missed on my homeworld?


    Of course, Glaustro wouldn¡¯t let us just sit there and luxuriate in the comfy sofa for too long. As he finally put down an empty teacup, his countenance shifted into something far more serious and severe.


    ¡°With your curiosity sated for now, let¡¯s talk about why I summoned you in the first place. Ascension.¡±


    The mere word sent a thrill shooting through my body and set my fingertips a-tingling. I swallowed, and found my throat to be uncomfortably dry.


    ¡°We¡¯ll appreciate whatever you can share on the subject.¡±


    The demon scoffed. ¡°I¡¯m sure you will. You do realize how hasty and risky it was for you to make a proclamation to the general like that, right? It wasn¡¯t a smart move, that¡¯s for bloody sure.¡±


    For a moment, Glaustro¡¯s fancy mode of speech faltered in his frustration, and I winced.


    ¡°I¡­ We need whatever we can get,¡± I stammered. ¡°I¡¯m not going to spend an eternity lagging behind everyone else just because I happened to be human once upon a time.¡±


    I regretted my words instantly. Of all demons, Glaustro knew exactly what the fate of ascended demons was typically like.


    The demon speared me with his eyes, pinning me to my seat. I couldn¡¯t even squirm. This continued for several long seconds until, finally, he snorted and shook his head. There was a sadness and resignation to the gesture I didn¡¯t quite like.


    ¡°Well, if you succeed, I suppose you won¡¯t have to worry about lagging behind. If.¡± The demon fell silent for a few more moments, weighing his words. ¡°Ascension was always a thing. However, it wasn¡¯t always so¡­ easy, or as streamlined. People used to have to offer sacrifices to the Abyss the hard way, through ritual and ceremonies. Things changed because of a war.¡±


    I leaned forward as the big demon paused again, my attention fully fixed on him.


    Finally, he continued, ¡°The Abyss fought the Cradle, both sides invading each other, and losses were mounting. So, the Abyss itself set up the first Absorption Stations, making it easier to ascend. You need to realize that the price of ascension is not nearly as low as it¡¯s made out to be. The Abyss itself sponsors most of the cost, so long as the subject does the minimum required to condition their soul enough to avoid instant failure. Maxing out your ascension isn¡¯t paying the full price. It¡¯s the minimum you need to do for guaranteed success. Such ascension leaves much to be desired, though.¡±


    My mind spun, and I remembered all the ascended demons I had ever seen. Frankly, I was getting rather good at guessing whether a demon had been born as such or ascended to their new form. The cookie cutter appearance was almost a dead giveaway, even with the minute differences and the lucky few who got unique features.


    ¡°But it¡¯s possible to go beyond that minimal success,¡± I ventured. ¡°The general said as much.¡±


    ¡°Yes, possible. The problem is, if you push past the basics, you also push past the safety features the Abyss installed in the stations. Just like with rituals of old. The process of improving your ascension pushes you forcefully past human limits. As the general warned, most ascend immediately after maxing out their ascension meter, to avoid problematic side effects.¡±


    ¡°What are they, exactly? Is it like what I¡¯m experiencing now?¡± I paused, shifting in my seat before I managed to force the words out. ¡°Problems with controlling one¡¯s emotions?¡±


    Glaustro shot me an unhappy look and nodded. ¡°It was reckless of you to ascend so quickly, but yes. That problem will only grow. There are also body mutations and improved senses to worry about. Things like eyesight, hearing, and even touch are relatively easy to deal with. Improved mana senses, though, can overwhelm mortals.¡±


    I furrowed my brow. I was always praised for my mana affinity and ability to handle it, so I wasn¡¯t too worried. Honestly, that seemed more like a boon than a drawback.


    It was the emotional issue that scared me. I was slowly getting better at keeping a lid on all my mood shifts, but I hadn¡¯t exactly mastered myself. And if things got worse¡­


    I tried to steel myself. I would either succeed, or I¡¯d make the attempt and finalize my ascension shortly after.


    For all my bluster, it was admittedly better to be a ¡®weaker¡¯ demon than an utterly insane mortal.


    ¡°How do I improve past the basic ascension, though?¡±


    ¡°We. How do we improve,¡± Mia corrected calmly, her dry tone cutting through the eagerness that had infected my voice.


    I shot her an apologetic smile, but she just rolled her eyes at me. At least she didn¡¯t look too upset.


    Glaustro eyed us, then shook his head in frustration for what felt like the umpteenth time.


    ¡°Once your ascension is maxed out, you¡¯ll get the option of sacrificing more souls to the Abyss. The process is more instinctive and less guided by the system the Abyss put in place, but you¡¯ll be able to focus on the kind of improvements you want, more or less. I didn¡¯t get very far with it. I barely managed to sacrifice a couple dozen souls before it got to be too much for me, and I decided to ascend.¡±


    It looked like the admission pained the sergeant, but I politely chose to ignore that. I was far more intrigued by the possibility of specifying improvements.


    ¡°You mean we¡¯ll actually be able to invest souls into something specific? Like¡­ improving mana affinity, or even features like wings, or something?¡±


    Glaustro grimaced, wobbling a hand back and forth. ¡°More or less? It¡¯s not a precise science. Closer to shady sacrifices conducted over corpses by warlocks of old. You¡¯ll be bargaining with the Abyss itself, offering souls in exchange for boons. You might not get exactly what you want, but make enough sacrifices, and you¡¯ll at least get close to it.¡±


    He narrowed his eyes, fixing each of us with one more stern gaze.


    ¡°Just¡­ know that by going through with this, you¡¯ll be altering yourself closer and closer to an actual demon. This is how people used to do it. Keep going for long enough, and you will eventually stumble over a threshold that will cause you to ascend. If you don¡¯t go entirely insane before then, of course.¡±


    The proverb ¡®gaze into the Abyss, and it will gaze back¡¯ flickered through my mind at his warning, but I wasn¡¯t swayed.


    Maybe it was stupid. Maybe it was reckless. However, this was the surest path to what I wanted: the power to stand on my own two feet.


    I wasn¡¯t about to back down at the threshold of getting it.

 Chapter 73: Ascending Improvements

    We were excused quickly after Glaustro¡¯s final warnings on the dangers of ascension. His parting words were particularly impactful, even if they failed to dissuade either of us from trying.


    ¡°If you go too far, you¡¯ll cross the threshold of reality reserved for mortals. You will get a peek at things best unseen by more fragile minds. If you can¡¯t deal with that, it will break you, and not even ascension will fix you up.¡±


    Standing in front of the sergeant¡¯s temporary home, right under the sunlight streaming through the glass dome far above our heads, both Mia and I shivered.


    There was a coldness clinging to me in defiance of the balmy temperature. A coldness that stemmed from deep within my essence, rather than anything physical. It felt like the very bond I had forged with the Abyss itself was shivering in warning. My mind drifted and my guts churned.


    I started walking in silence, and Mia followed.


    In a way, my circumstances were not at all brought about by my own hands. Sure, I had decided to boost my ascension. I had killed and stolen and fought to survive.


    But the start of it all? Well, waking up in the body of a boy dying because demonic mana had shredded his soul wasn¡¯t an ideal start, and it was definitely not my choice.


    Sure, it beat being dead and getting slowly devoured by the Abyss, because my previous life had somehow sucked enough to land me straight in hell. But I wasn¡¯t the one who signed up for the Legion of Torment. It was Hayden who was raised to glorify the legion life, and who volunteered to have Abyssal mana shoved in his chest.


    No, winding up in the legion was not my choice. But after that, I couldn¡¯t deny that I did have choices. Not good choices. Not even remotely survivable choices. But I had them.


    I could have tried to run away, or even tried to help the locals survive. I would have one hundred percent gotten myself run through by a demon or another recruit, but I could have tried. Maybe, in spite of everything, it could have ¡®redeemed¡¯ me.


    The thought just never crossed my mind, even when I hadn¡¯t finished absorbing Hayden¡¯s memories. Of course, those memories made the point moot. They assured me no salvation was coming, regardless of what I did.


    I tried not to think about that topic, but with my education, it was hard to keep my head in the sand. After all, the Cradle of Reason was part of what they covered in the training camp I grew up in.


    That Hayden grew up in, I reminded myself half-heartedly, even if it was a losing battle.


    I wasn¡¯t Hayden. But could I even pretend I was the person I used to be? With who knows how much of my soul devoured by the Abyss, only for those bits to merge with the shredded remains of Hayden? And that was before I willingly shoved the remnants of other souls into my own through Abyssal surgery, in order to steal their knowledge.


    Clarinette was the one who impacted me the most, true, but all the souls had left a mark. I now walked with my back held unnaturally straight. I was ambidextrous and preferred to use my left hand instead of my right. I even had impeccable table manners.


    Since most of the powerful figures in Berlis were nobility, I had unknowingly picked up more than a few snobby habits. The only reason I wasn¡¯t sneering down my nose at people was the harsh reality of being a grunt in a demonic army. That fact was very effective at curbing any and all hints of pride.


    I let the distracting thoughts fall away with a sigh, letting my mind drift back to what I was so ardently avoiding.


    The Cradle of Reason.


    Heaven, in all its disappointing glory.


    Except, the Cradle was no more heaven than the Abyss was traditional hell. While the Abyss was ruled by emotion, the Cradle was¡­ reason. Pure, absolute, and unyielding.


    There was no ¡®afterlife¡¯ as I had always thought of it. No divine refuge for the souls of the dead.


    Just the Abyss and the Cradle.


    Emotion versus reason. Demons versus angels. Two directly opposing natures and aspects of reality, rather than bastions of good and evil.


    Even if the math could ever add up for me, would I want the Cradle? Rigid obedience and logical perfection, with no true feelings in sight, for all eternity?


    By comparison, shoving some souls into crystals and munching down on them almost didn¡¯t sound so bad.


    Almost.


    ¡°Are you¡­ alright?¡±


    Mia¡¯s hesitant voice snapped me out of my daze, and I shot the woman a confused look.


    ¡°Sorry?¡±


    ¡°You seem troubled. I ¡ª I¡¯m not good at helping people. I don¡¯t know what to say, or do. But, I¡¯m¡­ here?¡±


    She sounded so uncomfortable, I almost laughed. The only reason I didn¡¯t was knowing it would likely hurt her. Instead, I stopped and properly took her in.


    Every line of her face, every inch of her body, betrayed how out of her depth she was. She held herself like she was about to bolt, and there was a deep wariness etched into her features. But in spite of that, she looked me right in the eye, her own eyes shining with concern.


    I wasn¡¯t sure what to say when faced by such earnestness. Though I did consider her to be a friend, and willingly shared my resources with her, neither Mia nor I were good at the touchy-feely stuff. To see her express her concern so openly threw me off balance.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    ¡°I¡¯m not. Alright, I mean.¡± I faltered, emotion seeping into my voice for a moment as the dam I constantly kept up threatened to crack. ¡°All of this is¡­ too much.¡± I closed my eyes and took a deep breath before daring to look at her again. ¡°But I will be.¡±


    Mia bit her lip and visibly hesitated before moving towards me with glacial slowness. I let it happen, stiffening when her arms closed around me. Then, just as hesitantly, I returned the hug.


    We stood like that, frozen, for what felt like a small eternity.


    When we clumsily disengaged, I had to admit that a part of me had unclenched a little, and I felt just a bit more prepared to tackle what was to come.


    I cleared my throat, trying to keep the hint of a flush off my cheeks.


    ¡°Um, thanks,¡± I mumbled.


    Mia was now refusing to meet my eyes. Her ears were flicking in every direction, and her tail was slashing wildly through the air, but she was doing a remarkable job of keeping her features otherwise clear of emotion.


    ¡°You are welcome. Now, shall we?¡±


    Her question confused me until I took a proper look at my surroundings.


    In my daze, I had walked through the underground city with remarkable accuracy. We had almost arrived at the Absorption Station. I could just make out its dome of influence a few streets over, rising above the unusually low buildings that made up most of the local housing.


    I hadn¡¯t made a conscious decision to visit immediately, but in a way, this was for the best. For all my pretense of being one hundred percent ready and set on proceeding with the plan, doubt gnawed on me under the surface.


    I had already gotten myself into a ton of trouble just because I couldn¡¯t manage fifty percent of my ascension. Going over that number was, as everyone seemed keen to remind me, an incredible risk.


    Then I glanced at Mia. Neither of us had a place in this new world of ours without strength to back us up. And, judging by the determined look in her eyes, the cat girl was far more decisive than I was.


    Besides, looking at her reminded me that this time, I wasn¡¯t alone.


    I smiled.


    ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s go.¡±


    We walked on in a companionable silence. Both of us knew that what we were about to do was final, in a very real, irreversible way. Perhaps only one of us would emerge from the station with their mind intact. Perhaps neither of us would. Regardless, in that moment, we were content to share the walk with someone who was in the exact same situation, and whom we could call a friend.


    ¡°See you soon.¡± It was all I could bring myself to say when we finally reached the dome.


    She raised her eyes to meet mine, and in that moment, the rest of the world fell away. It was just the two of us, doubt and fear shining through both of our expressions.


    Finally, her gaze grew firm, and she nodded.


    ¡°See you soon.¡±


    With that, she plunged into the dome of the station and vanished from sight.


    I stood there for a moment, my hands clenching and unclenching at my sides. Then I summoned my own conviction and took that last step.


    The station¡¯s familiarity was both reassuring and ominous, considering all I had gone through under its protection. The perfect sphere of isolation was the Abyss¡¯s gift to its recruits. It was a safe, personal space to absorb souls, upgrade compatible soulbound items, or push one¡¯s ascension further.


    I brought up the summary of my progress effortlessly, eying the fifty percent mark on the ascension meter. I had treated it so casually at the start, with no real knowledge of what it meant or what it would do to me.


    Already, I was¡­ altered. My eyesight was far beyond what a human could boast of, even allowing me to see in darkness. My physical toughness and tolerance to temperatures were significantly enhanced. I was now careful to smile tightly and never open my mouth too wide, lest I reveal how inhuman my tongue had become.


    Frustratingly, even that final change was beneficial. It was much easier for me to form inhuman noises now. In fact, I was willing to bet that I could effortlessly speak any language, no matter how alien the anatomy of its origin species.


    All the changes held benefits. But they were still changes. I was changed. Even at fifty percent, I was fundamentally a different being from the soul that had woken up in Hayden Hall¡¯s body all those weeks ago.


    Nevertheless, my steps were steady as I approached the main feature of the station. When I reached the half-reclined surgical chair in the very center of the dome, I sat down without hesitation.


    Everything was just as I remembered from my last station visit. Around the chair, tendrils of some alien flesh swayed, bearing instruments of all sorts, each and every one menacing in its own way. Scalpels, tongs, grasping claws, and more wavered all around me. When the tendrils swayed out of my view and reemerged, I could swear that what they held shifted every time, switching to more and more alien items, all meant to pry apart and then stitch together a soul.


    My soul.


    The process was as disturbing as it was painful, so I was more than a little thankful that I had no use for that aspect of the station at the moment. Instead, I reached into the purse attached to my hip and slowly pulled out souls, counting until I had a nice even five hundred in a heap on my lap.


    For a torture device, the station¡¯s chair really was comfy when you lay back on it. Comfy enough that I almost wouldn¡¯t regret it being my final experience with a sound mind and clear consciousness.


    I allowed myself one final moment of reflection. Memories drifted past my mind¡¯s eye, both original and inherited. None of the lives I could remember were particularly great. Not my first, not Hayden¡¯s, and definitely not the lives of the souls I had absorbed.


    Struggle marked each and every one of them. Struggle against circumstances beyond one¡¯s control. Struggle against poverty, or sickness, or pain, or the forced railroading into a life governed solely by the whims of those with more power than you.


    That was what it all came down to, in the end.


    Power.


    The power to resist. To make your own way. To afford yourself the luxury of safety, friends, mercy, or even basic choices.


    It was for the sake of all those things that I forced myself to stop hesitating.


    I raised the first soul and willed the station to imbue it into my ascension. Instantly, that same feeling of euphoria I had experienced last time swept through me, engulfing me in tides of acceptance and warmth and encouragement.


    However, this time, there was a difference. This time, I kicked off the process knowing what was to come. I did it not as a simple mortal, but as one who had experienced death twice. As a mortal who had foresworn his old world of origin and forged a link to the Abyss.


    So, this time, I could keep track of what was happening.


    Sinking through all the emotions, I buried myself into the core of my being and beheld my soul in a way I had never managed before.


    I watched as the Abyss grasped the soul I offered it. Swiftly, the Abyss melted the soul in a stream of power, washing away all its memories until only its raw essence remained. Then, gently, the Abyss guided that essence into my soul. My soul devoured it eagerly, and the red swirls surrounding me grew by a fraction.


    Soul after soul, I focused on the absorption process, trying to ignore all else. I watched, enchanted, as the fundamental nature of my existence was altered.


    The red swirls grew, then merged, then gradually occupied more and more of my soul. I was tainted in the colors of the Abyss, claimed beyond my own declaration of allegiance, converted into something approaching its own true children.


    The final glimmer of my soul¡¯s original off-blue colorlessness held out in the very center of my chest. I¡¯d originally thought that all the red had leached into my soul¡¯s frame from there, but that was not the case. The Abyssal mana was swirling around the core of my soul, cradling it, longing to consume it.


    That core couldn¡¯t hold out forever. With the final soul I fed to the Abyss, a swell of Abyssal power swept into me, overwhelming all resistance.


    My eyes shot open. I gasped as my consciousness slammed back into my body. All my muscles seized, locking up.


    Then the visions drowned me.

 Chapter 74: Emotional Highs

    Visions slammed into me, one after another.


    A creature, tearing itself from the fabric of the Abyss itself, gasping for life as Emotion filled it, ruling its mind.


    A legion advancing through verdant plains of twisted, purple plant life that clutched at them, forcing the soldiers to cull the vegetation as they fought to secure a place where they could build their first city.


    A crumbling world, compressed, refined, reduced to its essential components, then thrust into a rapidly evolving void of chaotic red and black mana that absorbed it all, forming swiftly into land, and plants, and new life brimming with potential.


    The rustle and gleam of white feathers bringing pain and destruction, pierced through with countless burning eyes that stared down with calm indifference through the rift torn in the Abyss¡¯s boundary.


    The anguish, the flames, the blood and globs of flesh stomped by countless feet as armies clashed, Emotion and Reason warring wantonly across the stars, each attempting to snuff the other out, yet failing time and again.


    A soul, cradled in Abyssal will, twisted and altered until it was reborn into new life as a child of the Abyss.


    More and more images came, each painted by emotions so intense and alien that my mind began crumbling beneath their weight. My sense of self stretched, struggling to encompass each and every vision, to absorb them all into itself.


    My name fled me. My childhood disintegrated, the many pains and tribulations stripped away in the face of something greater. Friendship, love, hatred, fear, joy, ecstasy, regret, and more, all exploded against my tongue like the most exquisite flavors.


    I wanted to drown in them. I wanted to devour them all. I wanted to become their vessel, so as to possess them completely. Above it all, a cackling roar thundered in my ears. The impression of minds fracturing, of souls tearing themselves apart, of the most resolute wills bending, took root in my core.


    Madness reigned, and I delighted in it.


    Why ever pursue any other goal? Why ever indulge in any other pleasure, when Madness contained the totality of experience?


    I felt a smile twist my lips further and further as laughter continued to escape me.


    I wanted to share it, to force it on others, to spread Madness far and wide until all could witness its glory and welcome its calming embrace. Yes, I could start with Mia, then Bronwynn, then Yules, then¡­


    Mia. Yules. Bronwynn.


    For the first time, glimmers of my own memories broke through the haze of Abyssal power. I brushed against them the way one might run their fingers over a dusty, forgotten book they were once fond of.


    Bronwynn¡¯s advice and reluctant care. Mia¡¯s steadfast presence, an offer of friendship, a hug. Yules¡¯ cheery disposition as she gushed about her love of crafting and her dreams for the future. Her mother¡¯s kindness. The vendor back in Fortress City 12, happy to chat and help out a lost recruit. Glaustro, and his growing acceptance.


    One by one, I remembered the people I had met. The few I cared about. Those whose kindness and acceptance I relied on.


    Other memories came, too. Of hatred, resentment, and fear. Mercutio. Wilhelmina. The accusing, terrified eyes of the people I had killed.


    I wanted to shy away from some of them. I wanted to embrace the others.


    And underneath all the memories, the threads of desire stretched.


    The basic need to be safe, warm, and full, in a home I knew was mine. A need for friendship and kindness, even though I was so very afraid it all would end in betrayal and cruelty. The yearning for something more, eventually. For quiet companionship I could lean on.


    The need for power, so I could earn and safeguard all those things.


    Bit by bit, I pieced myself together. My shattered mind¡¯s splinters clicked into shape, the edges raw and damaged and refusing to slot into place the exact way they had before, yet there nonetheless. I dragged myself out of the depths of Abyssal consciousness, tearing myself away from the devouring whole into some semblance of an individual.


    Ever so, so slowly, I stopped gazing at something far beyond me and focused on my immediate surroundings. They were calming in their familiarity, and I desperately clung to the physical sensations.


    The stark white of the station¡¯s chair, and its satiny feeling under my fingers. The way the chair enveloped me, making for the comfiest seat you could ever want. Even the swaying dance of the chair¡¯s tendrils, as mesmerizing as it was terrifying.


    It all distracted me from infinity, and dragged me firmly back into my own body. Back to Hayden, who most definitely wasn¡¯t just another fragment of the Abyss.


    In spite of that, my emotions still churned beneath the surface. They were powerful like never before, each one demanding my full capacity to feel. Fear was a mind-numbing, primal thing. Hope was a beacon on the horizon, a dream I wanted to chase after desperately until my body came apart at the seams. Affection was a bouncy, heady sensation I could hardly contain. Hate was a bonfire that made any life worth sacrificing in the name of vengeance.Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    I was pulled in so many directions at once that I felt like I was cracking anew. Deeper still, it was all underlined by other, equally fundamental changes.


    My mana was now a wild, powerful, churning substance rooted inside my core. It stretched and bent effortlessly according to my will. It was more than just a new limb. It was an essential part of my being that came to me as naturally as breathing or thinking.


    Likewise, my sense of it had exploded in quality and scope. I could feel every scrap of mana in my surroundings and visualize the exact ways it all shifted and flowed. I was almost able to detect an underlying rule of what drove it, some kind of elemental truth about the nature of mana. It was there, available for me to ponder, yet elusive and beyond description.


    A mild headache bloomed in the back of my head, and I grimaced.


    Just the mana around me was nearly enough to send me into conniptions, and the station was very limited in scope. I could perceive absolutely nothing beyond its starkly defined borders.


    What would happen to me when I dared to venture out? Was my brain just going to melt out of my ears?


    Fear surged beyond the boundaries I carefully kept around it, consuming all other emotions until it reigned supreme. It was a swirl of miasma, an inescapable vortex, and I was swept up in it.


    For several long minutes, I was a gibbering mess, seeking safety and solace above all else. When the raw edge of the emotion bled away, I found myself curled up under the station¡¯s chair. My fingers were raw and bloody. I had been clawing at the ground in my desperation to find a place to hide, to crawl into a hole somewhere and avoid any prying eyes.


    Disgust rose up and threatened to claim me next, but this time, I was a little more prepared. I shoved it back into its corner and held firm, choosing instead to flood my hands with the body refining technique as I simultaneously cast the cleaning spell.


    I was supremely delighted by how smoothly and deftly I was able to execute both tasks. The cleaning spell swept over me from head to toe, cleansing me of all dirt, blood, or any other pollutants, while the body refining took to my flesh with an ease I had never experienced before. I could practically watch my flesh knit together in real time as it simultaneously toughened. Even my shattered nails started to recover.


    Of course, I then had to clamp down on my happiness in a hurry to avoid laughing and dancing around like a drunken maniac.


    Deep breaths. Slow, deep breaths.


    I called on Clarinette¡¯s memories. Even with the barrier I tried to contain them in, they came to me more easily than ever. Sinking into her experience with meditation as preparation for circulating mana, I used it to center my being.


    When I opened my eyes again, I felt mostly like myself. My feelings were still there, raging under the surface, but they were mine to control and would only affect me if I let them. A life among nobility had prepared me well to keep up a fa?ade, so I could at least pretend to be calm, even if¡­


    I grit my teeth and shook my head, shaking off the confusion caused by diving so deep into Clarinette¡¯s memories.


    I wasn¡¯t a noble. I had never been a noble.


    If I kept repeating that enough, maybe I could also stop feeling the need to keep my back straight and manners impeccable.


    Still, my identity crisis wasn¡¯t my biggest issue. While I had a strong feeling that I could be relatively functional if I decided to venture outside immediately, that didn¡¯t mean I would enjoy the consequences of my increased mana awareness. I needed to prepare myself better for leaving the safety of the station.


    How, exactly, was I going to do this? Technically speaking, I had two things I could try.


    The first optional solution was, ironically, the same thing that landed me in this mess. If Glaustro was to be believed, now that I had maxed out my ascension meter, I could continue to sacrifice souls to the Abyss in hopes of inducing helpful mutations.


    There had to be a brain-related mutation available that would help me process both my emotions and my mana senses better. In fact, that seemed like a relatively basic mutation all ascendant demons would need when the Abyss lifted them into their new bodies.


    The only problem was the cost. With the new requirement of bargaining with the Abyss, whatever that actually meant, I had no clue whether my remaining souls would be enough. Additionally, Glaustro¡¯s wording suggested that the process of continued self-improvement through soul sacrifice would come with additional pitfalls of its own.


    The second solution was simpler, even if it was more of a long-term project than something I could get done immediately.


    Raising my level as a mage would naturally grant improvements to my body, too. In fact, increased mana perception and sensitivity were benefits which that path granted to its adherents, even if the increase in both was much slower than what the Abyss offered.


    The problem with the second path was, of course, the relative limitation of what I had learned on Berlis.


    Berlis wasn¡¯t a powerful world. This led me to believe their mana accumulation technique wasn¡¯t all that advanced, either. The best proof of that claim was the strain it put on my soul whenever I used it. I had to assume that more powerful worlds with denser mana would develop a more optimized approach to handling the blessing of those resources.


    Likewise, while I was convinced that the Berlis path to power was universally viable, none of their people ascended past the level of a Grand Mage, defined by the nineteenth mana core layer limit. Not one ever managed to advance into the realm of Arch Mages.


    I myself was firmly at the top of the ninth layer, needing just another nudge to finally overcome the divide and become an Advanced Mage. I simply hadn¡¯t had the opportunity to sit down and make a serious push yet, distracted as I was by spending most of my time with Mia and Yules during my break.


    Yet, as I looked back at the period, even with my newfound difficulties that might have been eased by more practice, I couldn¡¯t bring myself to regret any of it.


    I learned so much about enchanting. I got to de-stress and relax for the first time in forever. And, most importantly, I got to make memories happier than most I had access to.


    It was, at least in part, those same memories that dragged me back from the brink. In that moment in the Absorption Station, it was the warmth and companionship I had enjoyed during my break that really jolted my mind from the downward spiral it was caught in.


    If, in my desperate struggle for power, I completely neglected to live, would it even be worth it?


    It was this thought that crystalized a resolution in my heart.


    When I was finally done with all the finicky preparation for my emergence from the station, I was going to enjoy myself. I would drag Mia off to a shop or a restaurant. We would make ridiculous purchases and sample local food and drinks. Whatever the city had to offer, we were going to savor it.


    Ever since Fortress City 12, the first city I invaded, I hadn¡¯t bothered to look closely at the many demonic shops available in claimed cities. Sure, most of them would be dedicated to war in some way, but not all of them were like that. Right?


    If there¡¯s even a single frivolous shop in this entire city, I will find it.


    With that vow burning in my heart, and my emotions firmly under control for the time being, I got ready to take just a few more minor risks.

 Chapter 75: Abyssal Evolution

    My previous manipulation of the Absorption Station¡¯s setup required me to focus intensely on what I hoped to achieve through it, or at least touch an item I wanted to work with.


    When I tried to do the same thing now, I failed.


    I grasped for the vague sense of hunger the ascension meter always imparted in me, and I could find not a trace of it. No amount of inner searching made the sensation resurface.


    So I turned my metaphorical eyes towards the next best thing. My bond with the Abyss.


    It was easy to tell things had changed there. With my maximized ascension meter, the connection had strengthened even further, becoming truly unbreakable. Before, I could vaguely sense the Will of the Abyss radiating along our link, and was even influenced by it on occasion. Now, I could definitely feel something, a vast and keenly intelligent presence lurking at the other end.


    Oddly, I couldn¡¯t describe that presence as fully ¡®alive.¡¯ It was certainly aware, but there was a weird underlying feeling to the presence that made it distinct from all other creatures and minds I had encountered.


    More than anything, I felt curiosity on the other end. A sense of amusement, too, like the Abyss was about to pat me on the head and ask what snacks I wanted while we headed out to a store. Maybe if I was a good child, I would get a few souls to spend on a new toy¡­


    Despite the ongoing peril of my situation, I couldn¡¯t help but smile.


    What I wanted was unlikely to cost just a handful of souls, though.


    So, one by one, I counted out a total of two hundred precious crystals. Once I had them all awkwardly pressed to my chest, I extended my mana and wrapped it around the souls. At the same time, I pressed the idea of what I needed through the bond.


    Mind. Expansion. Strengthening. Enhancement. Faster. Thoughts.


    Our communication was a flurry of ideas, all blended together into a loose arrangement that would hopefully get my point across.


    The Abyss hesitated. Then its presence swept through our bond and directly into my soul, making me feel like I was about to burst. Pained gasps escaped my mouth as ¡®Mother¡¯ carefully evaluated my request and the offering intended to pay for it.


    Finally, with agonizing slowness, as if not quite sure the exchange was worth it, the Abyss reeled the souls in.


    The crystals popped like soap bubbles, releasing light and pure soul energy. The beauty dazzled me before everything was washed away along my connection to the Abyss. For a moment, the link was still and quiet.


    Then a wash of energy surged across it.


    This was nothing like the melted soul energy that had enhanced my soul during my ascension. No more gentle nourishment or systematic improvement. It was far more powerful, and far more violent. This was a steamroll-type upgrade, something an enchanter would force on an item rather than anything that should ever be done to a living creature.


    I couldn¡¯t stifle the scream that ripped out of my body.


    The energy rampaged its way through my chest, burned up my throat, and finally pooled within my skull. It obliterated everything there, melting my brain down into a useless goo I was afraid would leak right out of me.


    Yet, I was still aware. I could feel every moment of the agony. Worse still, this pain refused to transcend my consciousness and overwhelm my ability to process it. I was forced to witness every second, to experience every miniscule tremble and spark of torment, and to comprehend exactly what was being done to my body.


    The soup that now filled my skull churned, heating up past the temperature any mortal liquid should have been able to reach. The energy roiled through it, altering and refining as it sank more and more of itself into the brew.


    Not all of the energy stayed there, of course.


    Some of it seeped into my hair. Some streamed down the back of my throat, making me clench my teeth and lips even tighter out of fear that what I had paid dearly for would just trickle out of my mouth. Some streamed further down, back the way it originally came, then coursed through all my limbs in warm, itchy tingles.


    But the true agony only started when the energy hit my brain¡¯s connection to the rest of my body.


    My nervous system received a jolt of energy all its own, melting and warping as the Abyssal force went on a wanton blitzkrieg through my flesh. There wasn¡¯t a nerve that didn¡¯t get scorched. Not a single connection wasn¡¯t ruined beyond recognition and then reforged into something new and, undoubtedly, better.


    Finally, finally, the mess inside my skull began to cool. Starting from the center and extending outwards, my brain slowly reformed. I would have freaked out to witness the unnerving display in such cruel detail, had my pain not been so utterly overwhelming.


    As it was, I sobbed with relief at the sight, my fingers clenched on the station¡¯s chair until the knuckles were bone-white.This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    When the last piece of my brain resolidified and the final remnants of Abyssal power faded, I was a limp, sweaty mess. My body was broken and wrung out. I had not a hint of desire to move, even if I could.


    My mind, however, was another story.


    With the process complete, my consciousness slammed back into my body, ending the odd separation that had allowed me to witness it all in the first place. And as soul and body synced up, my mind expanded, blooming in new and utterly beautiful ways.


    Each thought was sharp, focused, and beyond fast. Whereas before, I had struggled to keep my mental faculties firing off at their best during combat, I had a feeling I could handle it easily now.


    I also didn¡¯t need to worry anymore about getting overwhelmed by the demands of magecraft. The headache caused by my enhanced mana perception was violently excised. The magical world lay bare before me, all its mysteries mine to contemplate and pursue.


    At least until my mana perception level increased again. Then, I suspected, I would run into the exact same issue once more.


    I refused to worry about that.


    I just luxuriated in the dance and patterns of mana, watching it weave around me and swirl about the dome of the station.


    I didn¡¯t even know when I started to run my mana through my body. It came as an instinct, an innate need to try and duplicate the delicate dance of nature that was captivating me so. The mana shifted through me, assessing its old patterns of circulation and replacing them with much better alternatives.


    My core gave signs of activity, too. It had never stopped spinning after I put it into motion the first day I met Mercutio, but now its rotation sped up. Spurred on by my core, the circulating mana churned through my blood vessels, and its newly forged pathways snapped into place.


    The second that happened, my consciousness was sucked down to a pinprick in and around my core. I saw past its surface, deep within the crystalized mana that formed the mystical version of my heart. There, I bore witness to what it was hiding.


    The core was not a solid, unchanging mass. The layers themselves formed barrier after barrier, all trapping a viscous kernel of mana that gleamed in more colors than the human eye could perceive. Reds, blues, greens, and yellows were most abundant, and took up at least a quarter of the core¡¯s total capacity, but other mysterious hues were undeniably present.


    The more I looked, the more dissatisfied I got. I didn¡¯t know why, but the inside of my core seemed¡­ off, to me. Like it was waiting for something. Like it could be better. Greater. More efficient.


    Without meaning to, I reached out my mental fingers and prodded a section of the core¡¯s innards into motion. The mana in there shifted, responding sluggishly. Yet it did respond.


    I had all of a moment to question whether or not I should mess with something as crucial as my mana core.


    Then I dove into the work.


    Even in the midst of it, I couldn¡¯t explain how I was pulling it off. I tugged, prodded, urged, and pleaded. And, slowly, the mana started flowing to my command.


    When I was done, there was an ordered flow in my core¡¯s inner mana, just as there was a flow in its external expression. Some primordial pattern now ruled over my core, brought to life there through instinct and recklessness.


    And at the same moment the pattern locked into place, the mana circulating within my chest surged, sticking to my core¡¯s surface as it formed my tenth layer.


    A shock of power flashed through me for the second time that day, but there was no pain now. I experienced only pleasure and relief as my empowered, purified mana nourished my body, elevating it to a new level. Even my mind and mystical senses, strengthened as they were already, received a boost.


    That feels great, I mused as I experimentally moved my limbs. Moments before, I had been in too much agony even to twitch. I thought I would need hours to pull myself together and crawl out of the station¡¯s bubble. Now, just like that, my body was fully recovered.


    If anything, my previous state was actually a benefit. Wrecked and weakened as my body was by the Abyssal mana, my advancement had shored up my inefficiencies and made me all the more resistant. So I could hope that if, or rather when, I repeated a sacrifice to the Abyss, I would fare much better.


    Of course, having dragged myself up into a sitting position, I was finally afforded a decent view of my body and limbs. I froze instantly.


    My skin was all wrong.


    At first, I thought it was a mere trick of the light. But a closer inspection only confirmed the truth. Rather than the somewhat tanned color my skin had developed after weeks of campaigning on Berlis, my whole body was now tinted a light blue.


    The color was barely there, to be honest. The only reason I could pick up on it was my familiarity with my hands. After all, I saw them in the corner of my vision every day. They were my hands. Obviously, I would notice if they changed!


    My altered fingers were even more alarming. When the abyssal mana burned through my nerves, I did notice it lingering in my fingertips, but I hadn¡¯t considered the potential effects of that.


    Not until my new claws were staring me in the face.


    Well, not literally. They were perfectly mundane claws. They didn¡¯t have eyes of their own. They couldn¡¯t stare at anything.


    But I shouldn¡¯t HAVE claws!


    I had always known my ascension would change me, but I never expected said changes to be so physical and so obvious. That was why my altered tongue had freaked me out way back when, despite the potential spell-casting and linguistic benefits.


    I guess I always thought my physical changes would be subtle. Better eyesight. Tougher body. Greater reflexes. Stuff like that! But no, I was looking at very real claws, something like a cross between bird talons and what you¡¯d see on a cat. Long, tough, and deadly.


    Experimentally, I flexed my hands. It took a few tries, but a niggling at the back of my mind kept me going. When I finally locked my muscles just right, a tiny bit of my mana responded to the physical stimuli, and my claws receded into my fingertips.


    My nails were still unusually long and rather pointy-looking, but at least I didn¡¯t have murder weapons permanently attached to my hands.


    I let out a breath of relief, then winced when I remembered where else all that mana had escaped to.


    Gingerly running my tongue over the inside of my mouth, I couldn¡¯t quite hold back a forlorn sigh. Paired with my sinuous, snake-like tongue, I now had wonderfully sharp and pointy teeth.


    A bit of questing with my fingers over the lines of my face further revealed that my ears had also changed. They were pointed and longer than before. Not quite elf ears, but definitely not something you would see on a normal human, either.


    I didn¡¯t know how to feel.


    Sure, the process had been kicked off a long time ago. But all these sudden changes to the body I had come to see as mine were still unnerving, doubly so because they came without warning or consent. I was simply trying to make my mind and brain more resilient, and I had ended up a demon-lite humanoid.


    At least I don¡¯t have horns¡­


    That thought made me scramble to check. A few moments later, I let my hands fall into my lap with a sigh. No horns. Not even stubby little things.


    I¡¯m not sure what it says about me, but I suddenly couldn¡¯t decide whether to be sad or happy about that.

 Chapter 76: Mana Experiments

    By the time I pulled myself together, my armor was actually in decent condition, with very few traces of my sweaty, messy state left. It was all thanks to the automatic cleaning enchantment Yules had thrown in. Already, I was immensely thankful for that feature.


    Even if it wasn¡¯t quite powerful enough to remove all of Lagyel¡¯s sand on its own.


    I cast a couple cleaning spells on myself anyway. The process felt almost effortless. The mana expenditure was nothing to me at all, and the runes were pretty much conjuring themselves on top of my skin!


    Though I was still a little disgruntled that bits of me had changed without explicit permission on my part, at least the mutations were a net benefit. To be honest, if I had known that a few demonic features could improve my spellcasting, I would have gone for them willingly.


    I didn¡¯t let myself get lost in mana experiments. Instead, I followed my conviction and left the station¡¯s sphere of influence to check on Mia.


    I honestly expected to find her waiting for me. After all, it had taken me a long time time to wrangle my emotions and pain into the semblance of something manageable.


    So when I stepped outside and saw no one, her absence was¡­ worrying.


    I hadn¡¯t anticipated the shot of dread that surged through me. I absolutely loathed the helplessness that set in the next moment.


    Even if Mia was in trouble, there was nothing I could do.


    It wasn¡¯t like I could bust through the station¡¯s protective bubble. The whole reason you could trust in the station so completely was the barrier¡¯s absolute impenetrability to any intruders.


    The only reliable way to remove this protection was to destroy the anchor that bound the demonic invasion in place. In most cases, this was the teleportation obelisk, though I had heard the choice of anchor was entirely down to the commander making the claim. They could designate an alternative right up to the moment of conjuring the Abyss.


    Regardless, I didn¡¯t think the legion would let me ¡®liberate¡¯ an entire city just to check on a friend.


    I stood there, staring at the Absorption Station, panic buzzing in my ears and making it difficult to think. I had just decided to go and find Bronwynn when the station¡¯s barrier rippled, then parted to let Mia emerge.


    Both of us froze in place, eying each other up.


    While Mia¡¯s changes weren¡¯t as extreme as mine at first sight, they were definitely noticeable. All the features that made her stand out in the first place were enhanced, almost exaggerated.


    Her hands, already clawed, were now fully covered in thick, fluffy fur. The same fur covered her arms, to the elbow. She had rolled up her sleeves to show this off. Likewise, her legs now boasted fur up to the knee, and they ended in paws rather than feet. Even the structure of her knee was altered to account for this, allowing her to maintain her balance.


    It was her face that had gone through the most startling change, though.


    The lines of it had shifted in a way I couldn¡¯t quite define, giving her a more dangerous and feral look. Her irises shone like molten gold against black sclera, and her hair was now a mix of actual hair and the fur of some large, predatory cat. Finally, her cat ears had grown larger and more prominent, though they still twitched in the familiar way that betrayed her anxiety.


    Neither of us was sure how to break the awkward silence that stretched between us, because neither of us knew how to ask the other if they were still in possession of their faculties.


    There was nothing for it but to take the plunge.


    ¡°You look much cuter than before. All fluffy and cuddly,¡± I teased, pitching my voice in a way that would hopefully tell her I was joking.


    In all seriousness, she looked lethal, like a primal predator stalking its prey with sure, steady steps. Danger whispered through every slight motion she made, betraying a level of grace that no human or even demon could ever hope to imitate.


    After all, nothing can ¡®stalk menacingly¡¯ better than a large, humanoid, mana-enhanced cat.


    This new, even deadlier Mia grinned at me, showing off rows of very sharp, very pointy teeth.


    ¡°Are you really turning blue?¡±


    I flushed. I¡¯d been hoping the color wasn¡¯t very noticeable, but I suppose I shouldn¡¯t have tried to delude myself .


    I wasn¡¯t about to just take the taunt lying down, however.


    I flexed my hand the way I had practiced. With the tensing of muscle and a twist of mana, my new claws burst from my fingertips.


    ¡°Among other things. Can¡¯t say that my skin is my favorite change, but it¡¯s worth it for the rest.¡±


    She regarded my claws with obvious interest. In fact, she even took a few steps closer to inspect them properly. I didn¡¯t bother to squish the pride surging through me in that moment.


    At least, not until said pride threatened to overwhelm me. My emotions were still volatile, after all. If I didn¡¯t concentrate on keeping them contained, they could make me say and do some truly stupid things.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    That did make me wonder, though¡­


    ¡°How far did you go?¡± I asked. ¡°With the ascension meter, I mean?¡±


    ¡°All the way, of course.¡±


    Mia was still busy admiring my claws, so the faux casualness of her voice threw me off until I actually processed her words.


    All the way. Literally from zero to a hundred.


    This time, when I took her in, my gaze was more full of caution than admiration.


    ¡°I have to say, if that¡¯s the case, you¡¯re doing surprisingly well,¡± I conceded.


    The cat lady¡¯s eyes snapped up to mine. Their glow redoubled.


    ¡°Am I? Am I really?¡± she whisper-growled.


    For the first time, I saw the swell of emotion behind her mask.


    Hunger, rage, vindictiveness, madness, and several feelings I really didn¡¯t want to try and make sense of¡­ They all stared back at me, making my own fa?ade falter. I was sure she could see through my mask, too.


    But I didn¡¯t look away. Neither did she.


    We looked each other in the eye, fully aware of how messed up we both were at that moment, and incapable of doing anything about it.


    Well, maybe there was one thing we could do.


    ¡°Would you like to spend the rest of the day with me?¡± I offered, like we weren¡¯t practically glued together all the time anyway. ¡°We could go look around the shops they¡¯ve got here, actually check out some casual demonic wares, look for some food to eat¡­¡±


    I trailed off, my demonically potent anxiety fighting to take over. The relief I felt when she finally nodded was even more intense. Inordinately so.


    I wasn¡¯t exactly declaring my love for all to hear, after all. It was just an outing between friends. But rejection still would have stung, especially with our newly heightened emotions added to the mix.


    ¡°Sounds like a date,¡± I quipped anyway, just to tease her.


    I enjoyed the flush on her cheeks far more than I should have.


    ¡ª


    We soon learned that demons did, in fact, have a whole entertainment industry. They might not have had the internet, but they managed just fine.


    There were shops upon shops selling books written by authors from conquered worlds, or even by demons themselves. One of the most popular authors was an actual Grand Duke of the Abyss, one Alexandria Filmontrea, the Demoness of Woe. As far as I could tell, the demons were unhealthily obsessed with her.


    She did have quite the range of novels, though. That much I had to admit. Everything from thrillers to murder mysteries to romance stories was there for us to peruse, and peruse we did.


    ¡®Tablets¡¯ were another type of shop geared solely towards entertainment. They sold actual, crystalline slabs about two times larger than a book in height and width. These tablets contained all sorts of recorded ¡®plays.¡¯


    Now, they called them ¡®plays¡¯, but they were movies.


    Not only had demons managed to recreate movies, but they provided a way to watch them conveniently, wherever you found yourself. The tablet could be charged with mana and boasted a very healthy battery life. To download new plays, you just had to press the tablet against a massive enchanted mana crystal hanging at the center of the store.


    Mia was endless fascinated by the tablets and the plays they contained, since no such thing had existed on her homeworld. We spent hours just browsing and picking out stuff that would be interesting to watch. Then I paid for a pair of tablets and a good number of plays to go with them.


    Mia tried to protest, but when I argued that I actually had souls left over, and that it was a treat for both of us managing to keep our sanity, she dropped the subject.


    The final items we went on the hunt for were sweets, and by all that is holy and unholy, we found them.


    A benefit of roaming the cosmos and pillaging various worlds was that the Abyss turned into something of a melting pot for the civilizations it devoured. Not every single culture¡¯s traces were preserved, but food seemed to be something demons were willing to embrace universally.


    In other words, the sheer variety of sweet stuff on display was dazzling.


    There was plenty of chocolate, as well as every imaginable combo of chocolate mixed with something else. I tried a particularly delightful blend which featured a nutty kind of fruit nestled in dark chocolate. It reminded me of strawberries and blueberries simultaneously, and it was both comfortingly familiar and refreshingly new.


    As much as I wanted to, I didn¡¯t buy a full bag of those chocolates. It wasn¡¯t even because I was broke. It was because the sheer number of different sweets we tried thoroughly dissuaded me from taking any home with us.


    Sweet bagels, baked goodies of every kind, chips fried with sweet oils and sauces, cakes in every imaginable shape and intensity of sweetness¡­ the shopkeepers were sure to remember us, if only for the huge amounts of food we managed to stuff down our throats.


    Neither Mia nor I cared. Our personal challenge was to put ourselves into a food coma. We failed over and over, but we were determined to keep trying until we succeeded.


    Alas, by the time deep evening rolled around and we were forced to retreat, we still hadn¡¯t pulled off our noble goal. We were comfortably full, though. And, well, several hundred souls poorer.


    I had noticed some time ago that food was generally cheap among demons, but that rule only applied if you didn¡¯t try to put the sweets industry out of business with only your best friend by your side.


    We stumbled more than walked into the dorm, and then basically crawled up the stairs to our room on the second floor. We were giggling uncontrollably when we burst through our door, and for the life of me, I couldn¡¯t remember why.


    I didn¡¯t need to know.


    All that mattered was the reassuring warmth that spread through my chest, and the comforting presence of Mia as she draped herself over me and passed out. I was tempted to wake her up and get her into her own bed, but I quickly decided it wasn¡¯t worth it. She looked far more exhausted than I felt, and since she strongly disliked showing weakness, I could only imagine her actual state.


    I, on the other hand, didn¡¯t feel tired at all.


    Whether because of all the changes I had gone through or the amount of sugar in my bloodstream, I was wide awake and fully aware.


    Moving gingerly so I wouldn¡¯t wake up the cat girl, I raised my hand and willed my grimoire to it.


    The book was lying next to my pack, just a few feet away. As I watched, it faded into mana, then rematerialized in my grasp. I grinned like a kid. What else was I supposed to do, now that I knew I owned a teleporting book?


    I could likely do the same with all my other bound items. The trick would work wonders if it applied to my sword, but I could test that later. The last thing I wanted to do with a cat on my lap was end up awkwardly holding a sword.


    What I could test was my new understanding of the grimoire. I reached out with my mind once more. Without so much as a whisper or me lifting a finger, the book flipped open, and the pages turned until they landed on the text I was looking for.


    Wind Blade.


    The signature spell of every air mana lover on Berlis, and quite a few other worlds besides. Fire Ball was great, don¡¯t get me wrong, but I wanted to start with something more subtle and precise before leaping straight to ¡®I didn¡¯t ask how big the room was or how close my allies are! I cast fireball!¡¯


    As I scanned through the text, its arcane knowledge was far more transparent to me than ever before. The instruction simply made sense. Every twist and turn of mana required came to me so naturally, it was almost disappointing. The runes, too, formed on the surface of my skin with remarkable ease.


    They formed so easily, in fact, that I was struck by a moment of inspiration.


    Unspooling the mana from my skin, I used my body as a springboard, then sent the runes spiraling around my hand. They wavered and shimmered in the air, floating in the exact same way I saw demons use them.


    The grin that stretched across my lips could only be described as feral.

 Chapter 77: Local Hegemons

    I didn¡¯t get any sleep that night. The wonders of mana kept me up well past the point when I should have stopped to rest.


    Not that I regretted it in the least.


    I had wasted so much time when I was first starting out as a mage, trying to get my spellcasting to work the way I wanted it to. The fact that I could now copy what demons were capable of was a heady reward to savor.


    Sure, I knew my emotions were driving my behavior once again. But this time, they aligned perfectly with the improvement of my long-term survival chances. Working with spells was both fun and practical.


    By the time the first rays of dawn peaked through the window of our shared room, I was confident I could cast the Wind Blade spell on command. In less than a second, too. I didn¡¯t actually test it out, obviously, but the rune formation came off without a hitch every time.


    Mia hadn¡¯t stirred the entire night.


    The cat lady was still strewn over me in the exact same position when morning came. This would have been murder on my legs and spine if I weren¡¯t cheating with the body strengthening and refinement techniques. As it was, all I had to complain about was some mild tingling where her knee was digging into my leg.


    I was just contemplating the idea of waking her up so we could hunt down a meal when the choice was removed from my hands.


    A thunderous noise rang out over the city. Startled, Mia jumped so high she almost hit the ceiling. She did hit me on her way down, leaving us both a little dazed as we struggled to figure out what was happening.


    Then the same noise rang out again. This time, I caught sight of dust and sand raining down over the city.


    ¡°We¡¯re under attack. I think,¡± I spat out quickly, maneuvering around Mia so I could snatch my sword from its place against the wall. I had just managed to clasp it around my waist when my brand started heating up. A brush against it confirmed my suspicions.


    Gather quickly. Enemy invasion in progress.


    I cursed on my way out the door, Mia on my heels. As annoyed as I was, though, a part of me felt impressed. This would be the first time I got to see a demonically conquered city come under local assault.


    Fighting on Berlis was more a mop-up than an actual war. For all the ingenuity of the local leader, she never managed to launch a reclamation attack.


    The jinn, on the other hand, had apparently taken great offense at what the demons were trying to do.


    The sound of shattering glass reached me before we made it out of the building. Bursting through the dorm¡¯s main entrance, I looked up to see a shower of sparkling glass shards raining down over the city, accompanied by a wave of sand that seemed intent on drowning everything out.


    And right in the center of the sky, where a dome had once denied him entry, hovered a jinn.


    He looked like a desert spirit. Sand spiraled around him and wound about his limbs, both protecting him and threatening retribution against any attackers. He wore a loose and somewhat skimpy silken outfit: a pair of puffed-up pants that reached only below his knees, and a large, flowing vest. The vest was unbuttoned, revealing a muscular stomach to the world.


    The jinn¡¯s skin was the color of charcoal. Glowing lines crisscrossed his body in a formation that made no sense to me, signs of the magma hidden under the jinn¡¯s exterior. But his most striking features were his hair and beard. Both were ruby red, and they glittered like jewels would under sunlight.


    All in all, he was quite the sight.


    He was also glaring down at all of us with murderous intent.


    To his credit, the jinn did not monologue or make long-winded threats. He merely thrust his hands forward, and an even bigger avalanche of sand erupted overhead, briefly blocking out the sun.


    That¡¯s when the enraged scream of a demon ripped through the air.


    I couldn¡¯t see the source of the magic at first. All I saw was a streak of lightning that erupted from the city. It bounced ruthlessly between every single grain of sand in an ever-expanding web, reaching the invader seconds later.


    The jinn¡¯s scowl turned into a pained grimace as his screams joined the demon¡¯s enraged screeching. The sand sagged and lost most of its strength. For a moment, I thought that would be it.


    Then the jinn burst into blue flames. The fire acted as a shield, igniting even the electricity that attempted to reach him. Worse yet, the heat he was radiating melted the sand in one unrelenting cascade. The substance shivered before it fused into mottled glass. This time, the shards coalesced to form wickedly sharp spears, each as large as an adult human.


    With another sweeping gesture, the jinn launched the glass-wrought spears down at the city.


    I couldn¡¯t keep up with all that was happening. The scope of mana I felt at work was far beyond my ability to process. My newly heightened emotions, which I had kept such a careful lid on, were threatening to swamp me. Panic and despair reigned supreme.


    I couldn¡¯t move. I couldn¡¯t speak. All I could do was stare at the spear hurtling towards me, waiting for it to reap my life.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.


    Mia was just as new to her ascension. Newer, really. Yet, in that moment, she showed that her response to overwhelming odds was quite different from mine.


    She yowled and tackled me to the ground, covering my body with her own. Her eyes were wide pools of determination and acceptance. I briefly lost myself in them. It was a better alternative to staring at my approaching death, after all.


    Then the entire cavern shook, and the walls themselves came alive.


    Tendrils of rock shot through the air so quickly that I could barely track them. They latched onto each of the jinn¡¯s projectiles with uncanny accuracy, enveloping the spears in sheaths of stone. Then the tendrils dragged the spears back into the wall, encasing the glass weapons there.


    Even the jinn was left gaping as my angry commander stalked out of his house, eyes glowing with red mana.


    I distinctly remembered Glaustro telling me he was never gifted as a mage, not in comparison to his brother. In that moment, I realized this was pure bias. A powerful mage might not match up to a powerful genius mage, but at the end of the day, power is power.


    And Glaustro showed us power.


    The sergeant stomped, and the earth shook again. Spires of rock tipped by diamonds shot out of the ground, each and every one aiming unerringly for the jinn.


    The jinn tried to dodge. He wasn¡¯t a bad flier, either. He swam through the air quickly and with grace, yet there was simply nowhere to run. Glaustro¡¯s spires blocked out the sun as they pursued their target, and the jinn eventually gave up.


    He curled into a ball, his flames burning even hotter in an attempt to protect him. The rock refused to liquefy in the heat. The spires found their mark and stabbed deep into the jinn¡¯s charcoal flesh, drawing screams of anguish and a deluge of blood that resembled crimson gold in its viscosity.


    The first demon wasn¡¯t far behind Glaustro, either. I caught sight of a demoness with dusk-colored skin rising above the city on bat-like wings, wreathed in electricity. She laid a hand on one of the spires impaling the jinn, and electricity streamed from her.


    According to all reasonable laws of physics, such a move should have reduced the potency of her lightning considerably. Instead, it was like she was delivering her attack directly into the jinn¡¯s body. His screams were reduced to choked whimpers as his entire body spasmed, the electrical force straining and then tearing at his muscles.


    In spite of everything, his eyes were wide open and fixed on the city with hateful intensity. His flames erupted one final time, so blue it was sickening to look at them. They blazed hotter than anything I had seen before. They burned even their caster, but he persisted. Once the gathering of power reached a crescendo, the jinn sent the flames plunging down towards the city.


    Only then did his eyes go dim. His body slumped, held up solely by the rock spires impaling him. The last dregs of his crimson gold blood dripped down onto the buildings far below.


    None of this did a thing to decrease the potency of his final attack.


    The fire moved slowly, almost reluctantly. But in its wake, the air wavered, like the heat was devouring enough of it to cause something like a vacuum. The air in the cavern was getting baked out of existence. Though the flames were still high above the city, I was struggling to fill my lungs with enough oxygen for minimal function.


    ¡°Methialia!¡± Glaustro barked.


    His answer was a forlorn sigh that seemed to be filled with all the weariness of all the myriad worlds. A demoness stumbled out of the building, still dressed in a nightgown. Her flaming wings kept her upright as she gazed blearily at Glaustro.


    ¡°I can¡¯t even sleep now, is that it?¡± she demanded, then glared up at the approaching fiery death.


    With a flap of her wings, she was gone.


    She moved with truly unthinkable speed. All I saw was a flicker in my peripheral vision. Snapping my head to the side, I just barely caught the moment when she dove into the flames conjured by the jinn.


    The nauseatingly blue flames froze in place for all of a second.


    Then they imploded.


    Once a decent portion of the conflagration had faded away, I could see the fire getting sucked down into the demoness, like water pouring down a drain. Even the unnatural heat in the air vanished, whisked away by whatever Methialia was doing.


    When the flames were gone, the demoness stretched and yawned, not a hair out of place or a piece of clothing singed. Her wings flapped again, and then she was hovering in front of Glaustro.


    ¡°All done, boss? Are there more of them, or can I get some sleep now?¡±


    Glaustro sighed in a resigned way that made it clear this was not his first time dealing with the demoness. He shook his head. ¡°No, you can¡¯t. Get your ass into some actual clothes and come down here. This was the only attacker that we know of, but there could be more of them lurking around. We¡¯re on high alert until I say otherwise.¡±


    ¡°Awwws, but I need to make up for my beauty sleep!¡±


    ¡°Methialia, you did nothing but sleep for a week straight before I dragged you out of bed for that meeting a couple days ago,¡± Glaustro said in a pained voice, then motioned the demoness away. ¡°Just¡­ go, and obey your orders. I¡¯m not letting you get away with going back to bed. Again.¡±


    She grumbled fiercely, but to my surprise, the demoness did as she was told. Even if she was shooting our commander evil eyes the whole way.


    That¡¯s when Glaustro fixed his attention on me. His lips quirked up into an odd smile, and I realized Mia and I were still in the same position as before. Namely, she was still on top of me, glaring protectively at everything and everyone.


    ¡°Um¡­ Mia? Can you let me up now?¡± I asked quietly, cheeks flushed. When she ignored me, I wiggled my arm around until I could poke her cheek. ¡°Mia?¡±


    Finally, her eyes focused on me. She blinked like she was seeing me for the first time. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Get off me, please? Also, thank you for trying to protect me,¡± I added, utterly embarrassed by my pitiful reaction to danger. Justified terror or not, I had no business losing control to the point of locking up. Not when there was still something I could have tried.


    Mia¡¯s flush was even deeper than mine as she processed my words and scrambled away from me. She opened her mouth a few times as if to speak, but gave up and chose to hover awkwardly instead.


    I stood, trying to scrape together a bit of my lost dignity. ¡°Sir, what happened? Are attacks like this common?¡±


    The question made Glaustro scowl as he eyed the city. It wasn¡¯t as bad as it could have been, really. Everything was covered in a layer of sand. Glass shards from the protective dome littered the streets. Proper light was only beginning to peak through as Glaustro¡¯s rock spires slowly withdrew. Still, on the whole, the city was remarkably undamaged.


    ¡°No,¡± Glaustro growled. ¡°Attacks like that are not common. At least they didn¡¯t used to be. This city is relatively deep into the territories we¡¯ve claimed, so either the jinn have pressed their assault much further than the last reports suggested, or they¡¯ve found a way to sneak past our blockade. Regardless, this will mean trouble.¡±


    ¡°Could they actually reclaim some of the cities?¡± I asked cautiously, eyes straying in the direction of the obelisk.


    ¡°If it comes to it, even the civilians will fight.¡± Glaustro motioned towards the city, a smile playing over his lips at the reference to any demon as a civilian. ¡°However, yes. If a powerful enough jinn attacks, they might be able to destroy the anchor. In that case, our people would be considerably weakened. We need to discuss this, and prepare to move out as quickly as possible.¡±


    With those parting words, my commander strode away, leaving me to stew in newfound worries.


    This invasion would definitely be nothing like Berlis.

 Chapter 78: Strategic Insight

    It took a little while for Glaustro¡¯s unit to come together in our small compound, but not long. Apparently, most of the demons had been out in the city when the battle started, and chose to protect civilians instead of rushing to meet Glaustro¡¯s summons.


    Unlike cruel Mercutio, Glaustro didn¡¯t make the brands hurt when issuing an order, at least not now that he was working with soldiers he knew he could trust. This meant his troop actually had the choice to delay or disobey.


    Even so, I noted the gathering was more prompt than Mercutio had ever managed to achieve, and definitely with better morale.


    The demons trickled back into the compound in small groups or alone, all covered in sand. A few were even sporting wounds. The jinn had been shut down hard and quickly, but that didn¡¯t mean the first deluge of sand hadn¡¯t dealt some damage.


    Despite the fact that she never left the compound, Methialia was one of the last demons to gather. The sight of her genuinely shocked me.


    From a slovenly demoness in a nightgown, she had transformed into a pristine soldier clad in well-maintained armor, with an impressive sword hanging from her hip. I still didn¡¯t know a ton about demonic weapons, but I could recognize an enchanted item when I saw one. Even if I couldn¡¯t, the mana and heat radiating from the weapon would have been enough to clue me in.


    The demoness grinned and winked at me when she caught me staring. I flushed and look away.


    ¡°Good. Now that everyone is here¡ª¡±


    Glaustro was just starting up his speech when the sound of lightning erupted from outside the compound, followed shortly by a sharp knock on the closed gates. He eyed the entrance with distaste, but eventually sighed and shouted, ¡°Come in.¡±


    The visitor obliged.


    It was the demoness who had responded first to the jinn¡¯s attack. Pushing open the gates, she strolled inside and looked around with unconcealed curiosity. She wasn¡¯t sizing up the compound, though. It was the soldiers she was interested in, and her eyes lingered on several of the more notable demons under Glaustro. They even paused on me and Mia, though I was fairly sure that was due to shock more than anything else.


    ¡°I see you¡¯ve gathered an impressive band of soldiers, Glaustro,¡± the demoness purred. She looked at my commander the same way I had seen Mia stare at a particularly appealing cake the day before.


    ¡°Rosaveta. It is¡­ good to see you again.¡± Glaustro forced out the words, looking visibly pained.


    ¡°Yes, yes, I know I¡¯m a wonder,¡± she cackled, sauntering up to the sergeant.


    Her hips swayed as she walked, drawing attention to the fabric outlining her body with every step. Some demons took armor as a suggestion, so it wasn¡¯t too odd that she was wearing a cyan dress which complemented her purple skin quite nicely. It had patterns of some alien flowers woven into it, and they shimmered in every imaginable color whenever she moved.


    Since she seemed incapable of standing still, that meant they shimmered all the time.


    ¡°May I ask what you want from me? I¡¯m a little busy.¡± For emphasis, he gestured to us, all lined up and waiting like proper little soldiers.


    ¡°You¡¯re about to discuss military matters, in the middle of my city, and you didn¡¯t even think to invite me? For shame, Glaustro.¡±


    My commander started to answer, then restrained himself with obvious effort. ¡°I did not know you were stationed here, Rosaveta. It was a¡­ surprise¡­ when I saw you respond to the attack.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes, the attack. The attack that almost flattened my city. The same attack that shattered our protective dome, leaving us at the mercy of this disgusting sand.¡± The demoness wrinkled her nose, staring at the sky like it owed her money.


    In truth, she was exaggerating a little. Sure, the dome was destroyed, and that did mean sand was drifting over the city constantly in a light shower. Things were still far better down here than on the surface. Up there, the grains hurtled at you via cutting winds that were threat enough on their own. Underground, the sand was just a minor nuisance.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you will be able to fix the issue soon enough.¡± Glaustro¡¯s voice was more devoid of emotion than I had ever heard it. ¡°You are a skilled manager and negotiator. There must be crafters or merchants here who can get you what you want.¡±


    ¡°That is true, but it will take time. Weeks, potentially. There are plenty of other cities, cities on the frontlines at that, which require similar services. Some are even paying for specially enchanted domes as an additional layer of defense. That means more waiting, and you know how much I hate to wait.¡±


    Glaustro glared at her now. I could tell he was losing his patience. ¡°What do you want?¡±


    The demoness giggled maliciously and sidled up to him. Glaustro narrowed his eyes.


    ¡°Your help, of course.¡± Rosaveta very deliberately didn¡¯t touch him, but she hovered close, her voice rich and silky. ¡°I know how good you are with earth elemental magic. Glass is just¡­ a hop, a skip, and a step away from that. I¡¯ve seen you use spells with glass too, after all.¡±


    ¡°No.¡± The answer was immediate, and it was final.


    ¡°Really, think about it. I could make it worth your while. Besides¡ª¡±Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°No, Rosaveta. I¡¯m not playing your games, and I¡¯m not wasting days of my time just to spare you from having to wait. Deal with it on your own.¡±


    The demoness grimaced, then scowled. Her eyes flashed with lightning, and for a moment, I thought she would attack then and there. It was only when she glanced over at Glaustro¡¯s arrayed troops, all of us ready to fight at the first sign of aggression, that her mana died down. She stepped back.


    ¡°Fine.¡±


    With that angry word and a clap of thunder, the demoness was gone.


    I was still blinking away the afterglow of her transformation into living lightning when Glaustro sighed wearily.


    ¡°I suppose we¡¯ll have to be brief. Rosaveta does not like to be rejected, so she will make me pay for that. She¡¯ll probably take it out on you, too, so it¡¯s in all our best interests to get out of this city as quickly as we can.¡± Glaustro shook his head. ¡°It hasn¡¯t been as restful as I might have hoped, anyway.¡±


    ¡°I sent for supplies to be delivered to us, commander. They should arrive in another few hours at most, so we¡¯ll be free to set out immediately afterwards,¡± Tybalt offered from the side, earning a smile and a nod from the sergeant.


    ¡°Good. Thank you for your forward thinking. Now¡­ we have a problem. Either the jinn are far more successful in their campaign against us than we realized, or they are growing far too bold. No matter the answer, we need to respond to this attack swiftly. The death of that jinn means a city out there has been weakened, or lost its protector entirely. The kill was ours, so the spoils belong to us, too. I already have someone going through his belongings to try and pin down where he came from.¡±


    ¡°Will this expert be able to provide us with guidance to our destination, or will we need to procure the information on our own, commander?¡± Tybalt piped up again, already writing on a clipboard.


    ¡°They will provide the necessary guidance. Even if they can¡¯t find any identifying details from the jinn¡¯s belongings, they can cast a spell that will let us retrace his steps.¡±


    Tybalt nodded. ¡°Very good, commander.¡±


    Glaustro¡¯s wry smile was amusing, but his following command was not. ¡°Naturally, this means we have to rush things a little. We need to reach our destination before they can rally and replace the jinn. If he was the only defender of a settlement, we¡¯ll have more breathing room. If he wasn¡¯t, though, they¡¯ll know he¡¯s dead by now. That means we¡¯re racing against reinforcements.¡±


    Glaustro¡¯s eyes landed on me and Mia again, widening as he took us in more closely. The pride that bloomed in my chest made me smile toothily before I clamped down on it.


    ¡°Once we start, if anyone struggles to keep up with the speed and intensity of our march, speak up. We¡¯ll slow down if we have to. An element of surprise and a softened target are nice, but we need to be in the right shape to fight upon arrival if necessary. This applies to each and every one of you. If you overextend and fail because of it later, I will find out, and I will punish you for it.¡±


    Glaustro¡¯s voice was an angry snarl. His suddenly glowing eyes promised swift and painful retribution against anyone who even thought about going against his orders. Only when he was sure that we were all suitably cowed did he look away.


    ¡°We¡¯ll depart as soon as our supplies are here, so get ready in the meantime.¡±


    With those parting words, Glaustro strode off into his temporary home, leaving us to relax.


    Not that we did, of course. Everyone was riled up by the jinn¡¯s attack, and the demons seemed eager to gossip. Mia and I had already fetched everything we owned from our room, so we found a nice little spot in the courtyard to sit down and eavesdrop.


    Well, I was eavesdropping. Mia plopped herself down, leaned against my shoulder, and proceeded to take a catnap. I noticed Methialia shoot the cat girl more than a few envious looks, but the flame-winged demoness remained sharp and focused, despite her obvious desire to copy Mia.


    The things I overheard were¡­ enlightening.


    I already knew a bit about the jinn. I also knew that war on Lagyel was not going according to the desires of the legion. Five months had passed since the initial demonic invasion, and contrary to their original expectations of steamrolling the world by now, the jinn were still holding strong.


    The demons around me placed the blame for this on the jinn¡¯s long entrenchment in the world. Apparently, they had ruled over the local populace for close to a millennium already. Over that time, they had managed to extort more and more wishes, which allowed them to wield far greater power than they would usually have access to.


    The jinn had taken advantage of their good standing to position members of their race in every city, town, and village on Lagyel. At least one jinn was tied to each settlement, backed up by wishes they had personally granted to the local community. This setup meant that our troops had to fight bitterly for every inch of land they wanted to occupy,


    The problem was exacerbated further by the world¡¯s natural environment.


    As a race, demons were among the most magically potent, to the point where they could be defined as a mana life form rather than creatures of flesh and blood. On Lagyel, this worked against them.


    It simply wasn¡¯t possible for demons to set up long-term sieges or holding camps out in the wilderness. The wards and enchantments that demonic war camps typically relied on simply weren¡¯t viable. Sandy winds constantly wore them down. The typical endurance and toughness of demons was sharply reduced, too, since the sand could actually cause them damage.


    Basically, the jinn couldn¡¯t have picked a better world on which to take a stand against the Legion of Torment, and none of the demons were too happy about it.


    Worst of all, no one was sure what world the jinn originated from.


    If they were an offshoot from one of the species¡¯ lesser worlds, then we didn¡¯t have to worry much. If this was an expansion backed by one of the jinn¡¯s core worlds in all its power? Well, then we had to be prepared to deal with the full resources they could field against us.


    The worst case scenario would be the arrival of a truly powerful jinn. If this happened, we¡¯d have to hope our own powerhouses could respond quickly enough to salvage the situation, or that the general himself would show up to strike down the fool who dared impede his plans.


    Unfortunately, the demons of my unit thought this was unlikely to happen.


    The general dedicated most of his time to the worlds with the fiercest combat. He even led campaigns against the Cradle of Reason itself. These were rare, but they were known to happen, especially in retaliation when the Cradle¡¯s forces attempted to claim one of the legion¡¯s worlds or invaded Torment.


    This was what left Lagyel in such an awkward position. The world was valuable enough to justify dedicating more and more resources to its conquest, but not valuable enough to pull in any of the legion¡¯s true heavy hitters.


    Not that anyone wanted my keen strategic insight. It was my job to follow Glaustro¡¯s orders. If my commander believed it was a good idea to take advantage of the jinn¡¯s death, then that¡¯s what we would do.


    At least I was surprised in a positive way when our supplies arrived, because I didn¡¯t just get rations.


    I received a brand new kit, with a premium soldier¡¯s pack, tent, and more! Best of all, I also received my monthly pay. I didn¡¯t think I would qualify for more than 100 souls or so when I was promised a stipend, but there it was: 250 souls for every month I had spent as part of an active campaign. That number would go up when I ascended, but as things stood, I wasn¡¯t in too much of a rush to do that.


    My power was growing. The progress was undeniable. I couldn¡¯t throw it all away now by getting ahead of myself.


    I was determined to take my time and do things right.

 Chapter 79: Desert Crossing

    Glaustro¡¯s expert failed to turn up a definitive location for the attacker¡¯s point of origin.


    The jinn did have a spatial artifact for storing some personal items, but it was both surprisingly small and sparingly used. The only contents were some local currency, changes of clothing, food and drink (some of which was distributed amongst the troops as a special treat, because it was of premium quality), and a batch of radiant mana crystals.


    No identification. No distinctive talisman. No labels saying ¡®If you happen to find this item, please return to the city Such-and-Such.¡¯


    I was trivializing the work of Glaustro¡¯s expert seer, of course. The point was that the jinn had taken extra pains to make sure no one could easily track his origins.


    This meant we were stuck with plan B: get a magical compass of some sort and follow the trail the jinn had left during his journey to the occupied city. I honestly couldn¡¯t figure out what kind of trail a flying, sandstorm-resistant magical being would leave behind. But, apparently, powerful seers were good people to know in such situations.


    So, into the desert we went.


    As it turned out, the tents in our new equipment kits were not a rare show of generosity on the part of the legion. They were an absolute essential. Without the sand-proof tent, I would have gone insane the very first night of our desert crossing.


    When we first set foot on Lagyel, I assumed our experience was a preview of what we could expect from this world. The howling winds and swirling sands were a lot, but they were still possible to endure. Back then, of course, I also assumed that we were simply unlucky enough to land right in the middle of a mini sandstorm. Winds have to stop blowing eventually, right?


    Wrong.


    As we trekked across the desert, I decided Lagyel was a hellhole worse than Torment. Winds constantly howled in our ears. Sand got into everything.


    And. I. Do. Mean. Everything.


    After one terrible hour, I took up casting the cleansing spell every five minutes or so, just to keep the stupid sand from slipping into my underwear. I was not going to endure something like that twice.


    Of course, then Mia started sticking even closer to me so she could force me into casting it on her, too. It took me hours before I remembered that I had handed the grimoire over to her ages ago and let her copy the knowledge from it. The smug cat could cast the spell herself.


    Still, even when she realized I had remembered that little tidbit, she kept following me. Every so often, she would give me the signature cat look of superiority. Like the weak human that I was, I just kept serving as her personal cleansing spell dispenser.


    At least the spell was easier now than it used to be. Technically, I could cast it even without drawing the runes. My focus and the memory of how mana twisted to form the spell were enough. Not that I let it get to my head, mind you. I still needed to focus and follow the proper steps to cast Mage Shield and Mana Bolts, not to mention Wind Blade.


    But despite my newfound ability, I didn¡¯t skip the proper casting steps for the cleansing spell. If anything, I performed it even more meticulously. By drawing out the runes and making them spin around my hand, I could improve the potency of the spell immensely.


    This was very helpful when, you know, the thing you were trying to cleanse yourself of was literally all around you.


    For a very, very brief moment when it first took effect, my spell could even pause the grains of sand in their flight. Sure, the sand carved through the spell almost instantly, especially since it wasn¡¯t a sustained spell to begin with.


    But seeing that happen did make me decide to experiment.


    I was one rank away from the peak of power Berlis could offer. On a universal scale, that was thoroughly pitiful. On the scale of Berlis? Well, the spells I was using had to come from somewhere, and on Berlis, it was primarily Advanced and Grand Mages that made them. In other words, I now had the qualifications to start messing around with my spells.


    I didn¡¯t have any grand immediate aspirations. I wouldn¡¯t be crafting spells that could level cities any time soon. What I wanted was to turn my cleansing spell into something that could be channeled continuously, rather than a temporary effect that fizzled out shortly after casting.


    This turned out to be a more complicated task than I expected.


    The magical limitations of Berlis meant most of the world¡¯s spells were designed to be cast and forgotten about afterwards. Wind Blade, Mana Bolt, Fire Ball, and Cleanse all fell into this category. You couldn¡¯t continuously supply them with power, and you couldn¡¯t steer them once you fired the spell.


    But I knew both things were possible.


    First, because I did have one sustained spell in my arsenal. Mage Shield¡¯s sustainable mode linked the spell directly to my mana core, letting it drain my mana with every attack I took in order to maintain the defense.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    Second, because I had recently watched Glaustro conjure rock spires and then send them chasing after the jinn. Now, it was possible that this effect was just baked into the spell. Some kind of tracking component, perhaps, that latched onto the mana signature of the target.


    I chose to ignore this suspicion. It made Glaustro¡¯s actions less amazing. Besides, I really wanted to believe it was possible to manipulate the elements like that, as if they were my own limbs.


    I need to find some grimoires or magic primers the next time we¡¯re in a friendly city, I thought idly, wondering what demonic magic was like. Far more advanced than Berlis spells, that was certain.


    As for whether I could afford such texts? Well¡­ I¡¯d worry about that later.


    For now, I had an immediate need for a more efficient cleansing spell, a deep interest in mana experimentation, and hours of desert journeying to fill.


    I summoned my grimoire to my hands, then carefully pored over the spell guide for my shield. It was¡­ not easy. The sand tried its best to obscure my vision. If not for the mutation my eyes had gone through, I probably couldn¡¯t have managed.


    Though I briefly worried about my grimoire taking damage, the book held out remarkably well. However, I was intimately aware every time a grain of sand impacted it. There was a tiny pull on something deep within me, as if some store of energy I couldn¡¯t tap into had been slightly diminished.


    It didn¡¯t take me long to come up with a theory about that. I wasn¡¯t sure how it was possible, but I strongly suspected my grimoire was pulling on my soul in order to remain unblemished. Still, this wasn¡¯t enough of a concern to make me put the book away.


    After all, I already knew soul energy could be harnessed. I was part of a demonic army. Even a hick mage on a middle-of-nowhere world like Berlis had managed to figure out how to sacrifice a soul and pull power from it. Her method was crude as hell, and most of the power was wasted, but it worked.


    The nice thing about souls is that they¡¯re not as fragile as people tend to think. They are tough little things that can take a hit. Hell, my own soul had been savaged and then shoved into the body of a dying teen, where it fused with the remains of his soul. And I was perfectly fine!


    Trauma and identity crisis notwithstanding.


    So, I kept the grimoire out. I kept analyzing the sustainable mode of Mage Shield. After several grueling hours, and one memorable occasion when Mia poked me with her claw as a reminder to cast Cleanse, my studies eventually yielded the runes I would need to make a sustained spell.


    The runes themselves were not a surprise, but the way they were implemented was a shock.


    The first time I studied the shield spell, I struggled with its five runes. ¡®Self¡¯, ¡®shield¡¯, ¡®harm¡¯, ¡®ward¡¯, and ¡®anchor¡¯ were tough to form and then maintain until the spell triggered. I had focused so closely on this step that I never paid much attention to the mana weaving and manipulation required to pull off the rest of the spell.


    That was a mistake.


    Now that I was digging deeper, what I found was fascinating. The spell¡¯s mana patterns naturally intersected to form more runes within my body itself. Once I began dissecting this formation and placement of ¡®core¡¯, ¡®sustain¡¯, and ¡®spell¡¯ runes inside my body¡­ well, I had to admit it: whoever first crafted the spell was, without a doubt, a genius. If I attempted to shift a single rune intersection, even by a little, the result was either extreme pain or a mana rampage.


    If I wanted to make a spell of my own, or even adjust a spell like I was trying to do for Cleanse, I would first need to understand any internal runes it required. Then I would have to figure out all the intricacies of mana weaving and manipulation necessary to cast the spell, and then find the places where I could insert the additional runes.


    Despite all my enhancements from the ascension boost and soul sacrifices, I soon realized this would not be a quick process.


    The effort still came with some quick benefits, though.


    Fiddling with the spells forced me to examine my shield a lot more closely, which led me to the conclusion that it wasn¡¯t running optimally. It definitely worked, and I could entrust my life to the spell in battle, but it was by no means as potent or as mana-efficient as it could be.


    The reason was that Mage Shield was meant to be a universal spell, accessible to all mages with the requisite mana and skill. The internal rune placement was generically applicable to all humanoid bodies, so it wasn¡¯t perfectly aligned within my specific body. The schema required adjustment to work at maximum capacity.


    It took me four days to discover the spell¡¯s optimal placement schema within my body. Four long, long days of traipsing through a hellish desert, with no weather improvements in sight and the constant burden of a thousand distractions.


    It was so, so worth it!


    The Mage Shield spell came faster, could handle more power, and even cost less mana to maintain. All the improvements made me feel like my shield¡¯s power had doubled outright, even if the direct improvement in toughness was only fifty percent.


    It both amused and annoyed me that my improved shield still couldn¡¯t help me with the sand.


    ¡®Fifty percent¡¯ didn¡¯t mean much when my mana¡¯s resistance to the sand was zero. In order to affect the sand, I would need to add an elemental twist to my shield. Maybe something like lightning to repel the grains. If I continued to count on my mana alone, it would stand up to Lagyel¡¯s assault just as well as any other pure mana construct.


    Read: poorly.


    I was excited to test out the shield in battle, though. With all the modifications I had implemented, the spell was, in my humble opinion, far closer to demonic-style casting than to its Berlis origins.


    True, my improved casting had some unexpected side-effects. As long as the spell was in effect, its runes constantly orbited my hand. This was¡­ distracting.


    It also prevented me from using my hand to cast other spells. I then had to make a point of casting the spell with my left hand, since that hand was typically holding my sword anyway. This would leave my right hand free for additional casting.


    Of course, that led me down the rabbit hole of trying to cast a spell while holding something in my hand¡­


    On and on we walked. On and on I trained. I took to either clenching my sword or holding my arms out in front of me, palms pointed down and fingers splayed, for hours at a time.


    Eventually, I realized Mia was laughing at me. Granted, I¡¯m sure it was a rather humorous sight in the middle of a sandstorm, but I was her friend, damn it!


    The cat menace didn¡¯t find it as funny when she finally asked why I was making a fool of myself and I forced her to train with me.


    We almost lagged behind the rest of our unit, messing around and trying to trip each other up. Still, we managed to get away with a single scalding look from Glaustro. After that, we kept up our training, but we actually paid attention to our surroundings.


    As much as we could in a blasted wind-blown desert, at least.

 Chapter 80: Local Critters

    If it weren¡¯t for Glaustro¡¯s tracking device, we would have been lost to the desert sands.


    Lagyel was a world of great beauty in a select few places. Most of it, however, was nothing more than a collection of countless, ever-shifting dunes. They did their very best to devour us, or at least soften us up for the defenders we would eventually face.


    It was working.


    All of us were steadily growing more and more tired and grumpy. Ironically, the demons had it far worse than me and Mia. They could take the heat easily, but the sand was a relentless threat to their mana-based bodies.


    The only thing they could do in response was bundle up.


    A few days in, the demons of Glaustro¡¯s unit almost resembled mummies or wraiths moving through the sandstorm. Those most desperate to protect themselves wore several layers of clothing covered by large, bulky coats. Not even demonic physiques could prevent all these clothes from slowing them down a little, but I wasn¡¯t complaining. This actually helped moderate the overall unit¡¯s possible speed, which gave us mere mortals a bit more breathing room.


    In contrast, Mia and I were getting better by the day.


    With my breakthrough in the shield spell, I was able to start working on improvements for my body strengthening and refinement techniques. The former was still mostly useless against the sand, but the latter was getting a solid workout. The repetitive damage to my skin made the healing and refining cycle of the technique more effective than ever. After nearly a week of trekking through the endless dessert, the sand¡¯s effects had been reduced from a constant grating ache to a constant mild sting.


    I had real potential to shed my weakness to this aspect of Lagyel¡¯s environment completely, which was exciting.


    To be fair, Mia was doing even better than I was. She started out with a tougher body, and all the work she constantly put into her training wasn¡¯t failing her either. A week into our journey, she could almost ignore the sand, having to protect only the most vulnerable areas of her body.


    This made us the target of some deeply envious looks from a few demons.


    It was a very small minority that obviously resented the two mortals for having an easier time, but I still made sure to pay extra attention to them. For all the progress we had made, I didn¡¯t feel quite ready to tackle a real conflict with a demon.


    Thankfully, Bronwynn also noticed the threat.


    He tended to stick close to Mia and me anyway, occasionally chatting to help distract us all from the monotony of travel. When he first picked up on the resentful stares, he broke into a tirade of quiet curses. He did nothing at the time, but once we made camp that night, I did notice him stalking off in the direction of the relevant demons¡¯ tents.


    There was some shouting and a couple pained screams. When Bronwynn returned a while later, he had a satisfied smile on his face.


    I didn¡¯t see any envious glares the following day, or the day after that. Still, I kept my eyes open. I wasn¡¯t foolish enough to assume all was well.


    The journey settled into a painfully boring rhythm. We marched for days, Lagyel fighting us every step of the way. Dunes stretched in every direction. There wasn¡¯t even a smudge on the horizon to vary the stark landscape.


    Then, finally, we came across a large rock formation.


    It might once have been a mountain, but the sand and the winds had whittled it down considerably. The winds, in particular, had acted like a river, carving channels through the stone.


    We actually heard this monument to the wonders of nature before we saw it. The wind whistled and howled through the carved passages, producing a melody as loud as it was haunting. The sound resembled the moaning of some massive beast, accompanied by the screams of the damned.


    Not the friendliest of worlds, Lagyel.


    Still, that didn¡¯t mean we refused to take advantage of the natural wonder. Constant noise or not, the channels in the rock formation did a wonderful job of blocking at least a portion of the swirling sands and winds. The demons all but forced themselves into these passages, letting out breaths of relief.


    Then someone discovered natural caverns in one of the ravines, and commotion ensued.


    ¡°We are in a hurry,¡± Glaustro insisted, though his voice betrayed his own exhaustion and annoyance with Lagyel¡¯s environment. ¡°We can¡¯t call an early halt just because we found a decent place to camp.¡±


    ¡°Oh please, it¡¯s almost evening anyway! We¡¯re not losing days of progress. It¡¯s just a single afternoon,¡± a bear-like demon snapped, then froze and hurried to add, ¡°with all due respect, commander.¡±


    Glaustro stared at him for a few long seconds. I really had to wonder if I was about to see my commander rip someone¡¯s spine out.


    Thankfully for the rash demon, the good sergeant just sighed. ¡°Why are you so set on this, anyway?¡± he asked, addressing the entire group of demons who had approached him with the request to stop for the day. ¡°The tents are specially treated to resist these sandstorms. They keep the blasted stuff out perfectly, regardless of where we put them up.¡±Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.


    ¡°Well, yes, but not having to dig ourselves out of almost a foot of sand every morning would be nice,¡± a crystalline demoness quipped, drawing a round of muttered agreement.


    I had to admit that was true enough. While the tents could withstand anything the storms threw at them, they couldn¡¯t ward off the simple accumulation of sand. The first morning of our journey, I had carelessly unzipped my tent only to have a deluge of sand stream right on in.


    Practically swimming out of my tent was not fun.


    It seemed like even Glaustro suffered from the same issues, earth magic or not. He grimaced in resignation. ¡°Fine. You do have a point. We¡¯ll stop here for the day, but I¡¯m setting a brisk pace tomorrow.¡±


    No one cared about his threat. Instead, a cheer went up, and I heartily joined in. Even Mia couldn¡¯t hide her smile.


    A few minutes later, we were exploring the biggest cave we could find. Once we were sure it was empty, we quickly began setting up our tents. The mood was festive. After so many days out in the open, the simple act of making camp in a sheltered, relatively quiet space felt like a luxury.


    Best of all, Mia broke out her cooking travel kit.


    She hadn¡¯t used it in a long time. The raging sand made it impossible outside, and neither of us was foolhardy enough to set a fire in our tents. It had been ration bars all the way for every meal.


    Mia was ecstatic at the chance to cook something better. She didn¡¯t show it, of course, but the light purr humming from her lips and the happy flicking of her ears gave her away.


    Our meal was simple fare, just a quick goulash, but it was delicious. Mia¡¯s spices and cooking skills were excellent as always, and we savored every last scrap of it. We even shared a bowl with Bronwynn. He enjoyed it, though he declined a second helping, since demons didn¡¯t draw any sustenance from mortal food.


    It was just as I was settling in with my grimoire for some extra study time that it happened.


    Mia suddenly shot up from where she was stretched out next to me, eyes wildly scanning the cavern. Her claws came out a second later, which was a surefire way for me to know something was wrong.


    I stood up, shoved my grimoire inside my dimensional pouch, and drew my sword.


    ¡°Mia, what is it?¡±


    ¡°Shhhh,¡± she hissed, then froze in place again.


    From the corner of my eye, I noticed the bear demon was having the same reaction as Mia. Other demons were also picking up on the behavior of the two beastfolk, which sent a wave of tension through the camp.


    These were demons, though. Instead of panicking, they fetched weapons or took up battle stances. Then everyone waited, eerily still as Mia and the bear carefully evaluated our surroundings.


    Mia¡¯s eyes widened. Falling to her knees, she pressed an ear to the ground.


    ¡°They¡¯re under us. I don¡¯t know what they are, but they¡¯re in the ground,¡± the cat beastfolk growled, just as the vibration of the cavern floor grew tumultuous enough for me to feel it.


    Moment by moment, the sensation intensified, until the ground was visibly shaking. Mia was back on her feet now. Her claws flexed as we pressed closer to each other, ready for whatever was coming.


    The first creature surfaced several yards from us, pincers leading the way as it tried to bisect a nearby demon. Said demon was more than agile enough to respond. With a roar, he brought a large hammer down on the creature¡¯s carapace.


    There was a crunch, and a piercing shriek like the grinding of metal on metal. But while the creature was stunned for a second, it didn¡¯t go down in one strike. This was enough to catch the demon by surprise. His distraction only lasted a second, but it gave another emerging scorpion-like thing the chance to pinch him.


    To everyone¡¯s surprise, a spray of blood erupted from the demon¡¯s leg. The creature¡¯s pincer didn¡¯t sever the limb, but it definitely penetrated a couple inches into the tough demonic flesh.


    Curses and exclamations of shock erupted around me as more critters emerged.


    The creatures were shaped roughly like scorpions, but the resemblance was only passing. Each was the size of a large dog. They had three tails curling over their backs instead of one, four pincers in front, eight legs that stabbed through the air like lances, and a mouth that belonged on an industrial shredder rather than a living creature of any description.


    Of course, ¡®living creature¡¯ was almost overselling their appearance. Rather than flesh and blood, the scorpions appeared to be made of rock and crystal. Most of their bodies were see-through. I spotted golden liquid circulating through channels carved within their frames, but no recognizable organs.


    Worst of all, the creature¡¯s armor had a rocky shine that reminded me a little too exactly of Lagyel¡¯s infamous sand.


    My suspicions were confirmed when a demon angrily cast a fire spell. Most of its force dispersed uselessly against the creature¡¯s defenses.


    ¡°Physical attacks only!¡± Glaustro roared, forcing order onto the panicking demons. ¡°Try to fight in groups, and don¡¯t let them catch you from behind!¡± Then, a second later: ¡°Dammit, Norfest, that doesn¡¯t mean you should fight with your back to the wall!¡±


    I spared a glance in Norfest¡¯s direction. Despite the attacking creatures¡¯ obvious ability to move through the ground, the demon had pressed himself against the cavern wall. Two scorpion nightmares were now attached to his back, and he was failing in his wild attempts to get them off.


    I didn¡¯t concern myself with his fate. I had my own battles to worry about. Five of the creatures were close enough to target me and Mia, and they didn¡¯t hesitate to do so.


    Flaring my mana as hard as it would go into my body strengthening technique, I surged forward.


    My first strike landed on a creature¡¯s carapace, pushing its head down and effectively warding off its pincer strike. The impact sent pain shooting through my hand and up my arm. I nearly dropped my sword, but managed to hang on and aim my second strike directly at another creature¡¯s mouth.


    The effect was shocking.


    My blade sheared right through, splitting crystalline flesh and spilling golden blood all over the place. The creature gurgled and flailed, catching one of its brethren in its rampage. The second scorpion responded by stabbing the first viciously with all three of its tails.


    As the two fell into their own battle, I hopped back. Glancing at Mia, I found her expertly chipping away at the two remaining creatures. This gave me a split second to breathe.


    I stared at the infighting scorpions, then at my blade.


    What the hell was that?


    It didn¡¯t take me long to find an answer.


    I hit its armor the first time, but that¡¯s not really part of its body. Whatever these things look like, they ARE living creatures. And all living creatures have souls, so¡­


    I grinned a feral grin, then ripped into the scorpions.


    Of all the soldiers gathered in that cavern, I was perhaps best suited for slaughtering the annoying creatures. While the demons struggled against the scorpions¡¯ natural defenses, my sword carved through the beasts like butter. I just had to be sure to target a ¡®living¡¯ part of their bodies.


    As I finished off my three opponents, two with remarkable ease because they were still busy with each other, I relished the feeling of souls getting deposited into my purse. No moral qualms here. For the first time in forever, I had perfectly acceptable targets I could profit from.


    I eyed the rest of the cavern with avaricious delight.

 Chapter 81: The Useful Parts

    The demons were shooting me odd looks by the time the last of the critters was put down, which I found rather hypocritical.


    Sure, I was cackling. Sure, I was covered in the golden blood (or was it ichor?) of the scorpions. And sure, I might have been indulging in the emotional high of getting to earn souls without guilt for once.


    But who could blame me?


    It wasn¡¯t like they hadn¡¯t enjoyed at least one decent cackle rampage in their lives. They were demons!


    ¡°You might want to get that smirk off your face, kiddo. Oh, and the blood. Definitely get the blood off your face,¡± Bronwynn grumbled.


    ¡°You¡¯re all too sensitive.¡± I bounced on the balls of my feet, eyes flicking around the massive cavern in search of more scorpions. ¡°Stab a couple critters, and suddenly everyone¡¯s a critic.¡±


    ¡°Hayden, you had your arm fully embedded inside one of the things. I didn¡¯t know they had soft bits until you ripped them out.¡± Bronwynn paused, looking me up and down. ¡°You look like you took a bath in their blood. And if you¡¯re wondering why people are eyeing you like that, it¡¯s because you threatened to stab some of them when they tried to help you fight.¡±


    ¡°So it is blood!¡± I exclaimed happily, still bouncing.


    I ignored the rest of what he said. I would never threaten to stab a demon. Demons were scary! They would stab me back, and then I¡¯d be dead.


    I was smart like that.


    ¡°Yes, Hayden, yes you did threaten them,¡± Bronwynn sighed, massaging his forehead.


    My eyes widened. I never knew Bronwynn was a mind reader! Wait, were more demons mind readers? Were they reading my mind that very second?


    Oh no, what if they find out I did actually want to stab some of them for getting in the way of my hard-earned stress relief?


    The pink-skinned demon in front of me grit his teeth and looked skywards, which was silly, because we couldn¡¯t see the sky inside the cave.


    ¡°Hayden, I¡¯m not a mind reader. You¡¯re still saying all of your thoughts out loud. You have been, for the last good while. I tried warning you about this already. Could you please calm down and get a grip? I¡¯ve been following you this whole time so I can stop anyone from gutting you if you say something too offensive."


    I froze as my mind struggled to process what he was saying. At first, it was difficult to tamp down my nervous energy and the feeling of excited bloodlust. But the more I understood how far I had let myself slip, the easier it became.


    Probably because panic was rising up instead¡­


    ¡°How bad was I?¡± I finally managed to whisper, my eyes still as wide as saucers. ¡°Wait, what about Mia? Where is she?¡±


    Bronwynn gave a relieved sigh, followed shortly by a scoff. He pointed somewhere behind me.


    I turned, then had to do a double take as I caught sight of a very self-satisfied cat carving apart dead mutant scorpions.


    With obvious delight, Mia pried off a pincer, followed shortly by the outermost layer of the thing¡¯s shell. It was the ¡®dead¡¯ part of the creature. Looking more closely, I guessed it was an accumulation of sand, coalesced into a uniform mass and transformed somehow into natural armor. Mia peeled all of it off, then proceeded to stuff the lot into a familiar-looking bag.


    ¡°Is that my dimensional pouch?¡± I asked no one in particular.


    Bronwynn nodded. ¡°Yes. You gave it to her a while back when she stopped trying to claw the things apart faster than you could kill them. She gave up and started harvesting your kills.¡±


    The demon sounded both proud and exasperated all at once, which sent my mind into another confused swirl. I didn¡¯t know how I should feel about any of this, either.


    I had apparently gone off the rails in an obsessive bug hunt. Now Mia was knee-deep in gore, lost in a looting haze.


    And we were surrounded by demons.


    ¡°We¡­ didn¡¯t piss off anyone too badly, right?¡± I asked carefully, not daring to look around and check the faces of our fellow soldiers myself.


    Bronwynn¡¯s amusement won out, and he laughed before clapping me on the back. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, kid. If anything, you helped smooth over some of the resentment from the whole sand-resistance thing. Not with everyone, obviously. There are still some demons you should watch out for. But it helped.¡±


    ¡°It did? But¡­ I went on a kill-stealing rampage¡­¡±


    Now he looked at me like I was an idiot. ¡°Hayden, do you remember what happened when those things attacked? Some of the others actually got hurt. We would have won with or without you, but you definitely made the process much easier. Now, that¡¯s mostly down to that sword of yours, but no one can take it from you, so it doesn¡¯t matter. You contributed. Glaustro even got a few apologies from people who objected to your recruitment.¡±


    I blinked owlishly. ¡°He did?¡±


    ¡°He did.¡± Bronwynn grinned. ¡°Would I lie to you about something like this? Kid, it¡¯s been several hours. You¡¯ve hunted down over seven hundred of the things by yourself. Sure, the rest of us killed more than twice that number, but that¡¯s all of us. Together.¡± The demon shook his head, clearly amused.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    I genuinely didn¡¯t know how to react. The slaughter was just a blur in my memory, a wash of sensations and satisfaction and rampant emotions. Sure, the purse on my hip felt heavier with souls, but their weight was barely noticeable thanks to the enchantments placed on the item.


    I would have to check and see if the souls were all ¡®lesser¡¯, of course. They did come from beasts. Regardless, it was still a nice little windfall.


    Though that begged the question: ¡°And everyone was really fine with me getting all those souls?¡±


    ¡°For how much they¡¯d have needed to work for them? Yes.¡± Bronwynn shook his head. ¡°I swear, we all heard about the locals¡¯ mana resistance, and how much of a pain they are to fight, but this was an eye-opener. Frankly, it¡¯s a good thing we got attacked here. It was a nice little preview of what we can expect to face in the city.¡±


    I furrowed my brows at that, but it didn¡¯t take me long to make the connection. With their mineral-type skin, the locals were remarkably similar to the scorpions. If they were protected in the same way the creatures were, then yes, they would be a nuisance for regular demons.


    Then again¡­


    ¡°The jinn who attacked the city didn¡¯t have resistance to magic, right?¡± I asked.


    ¡°No, we haven¡¯t heard anything about jinn developing the resistance.¡± Bronwynn frowned suspiciously. ¡°Why?¡±


    I waved him off, trying to think without revealing any trace of emotion.


    I wasn¡¯t sure if it was my paranoia acting up or a genuine concern, but¡­ if all the locals eventually developed mana resistance due to their environment, what was stopping the jinn from doing the same?


    Now, I didn¡¯t know how jinn procreated, or how long such mutation would take. But I did know that they had been occupying the world for over nine hundred years. That was a lot of time. Maybe not according to immortal races, but still.


    Was there really a guarantee that not a single jinn would mutate in that time? And if they did, then their threat level would skyrocket far beyond a regular member of their species.


    The last jinn we encountered had only died so quickly because Glaustro and Rosaveta managed to snipe it down with magic. Without their demonic spells, the jinn would have been able to wreak significantly more havoc. Hells, maybe he could have seriously hurt one of the demon commanders. I hadn¡¯t witnessed the full extent of the jinn¡¯s abilities, but even his manipulation of the mana-resistant sand was impressively dangerous.


    ¡°Hayden? Don¡¯t do this again, now. The commander is here.¡±


    Bronwynn¡¯s voice snapped me out of another spiral. As I blinked back into awareness, I found myself staring at the smiling visage of Glaustro.


    I wonder if it will ever not be strange to see him smiling.


    Still, as always, I couldn¡¯t deny that the sergeant looked very nice when he wasn¡¯t scowling.


    ¡°Excellent work, soldier!¡± the demon boomed. His hand came down on my shoulder with some force. ¡°I knew recruiting you was the right choice. Besides, judging from your appearance, you are making excellent strides towards securing an ideal ascension. When you achieve that, you will become even more of an asset for our unit.¡±


    Unlike his normal, measured tone of voice, Glaustro was almost shouting. This confused me at first. Then I glanced around to find the attention of the surrounding demons firmly focused on us.


    ¡°Thank you for the praise, commander. I¡¯ll do my best to live up to your expectations,¡± I assured him.


    He gave me a satisfied smile, then strode off towards the demon with two scorpion tails I had noticed when I first arrived at the unit¡¯s compound.


    ¡°Thelrod! Don¡¯t you fucking dare¡ª¡± Glaustro cut off his warning and burst into curses when the demon jabbed one of the scorpions¡¯ stingers straight into his own stomach.


    A small argument broke out. Thelrod was turning rapidly pale, but he kept defending his decision.


    I tuned it out. I was far more interested in how the unit¡¯s perception of me was shifting in real time. I didn¡¯t know how much my critter-slaughter was contributing, but Glaustro¡¯s proclamation of my chosen ascension method was definitely working wonders.


    Since we joined the unit, none of the demons had been openly hostile towards me and Mia, but plenty of them had looked right past us. It was an ingrained response to ignore mortals in their midst. Until we finally ascended, we were lesser beings, unworthy of demonic attention.


    Now? Now they were all eying me, as though I was finally a true rival.


    After all, one of the reasons why mortals didn¡¯t deserve notice was our inability to compete for souls during major conflicts. With my ability on full display, and the promise of more in the future, my demonic comrades couldn¡¯t afford to ignore me.


    This was especially true if my suspicions were right and most of the demons in Glaustro¡¯s unit were ascendant. The rule that ascendant demons were weaker was often taken as fact. With me angling to become an exception, I wondered uneasily if I had made myself a target.


    But it wasn¡¯t true hostility I saw in their faces. If anything, their eyes contained shreds of respect.


    I didn¡¯t know how to deal with that, so I chose not to. For now.


    Instead, I focused on what Mia was up to. When I saw the best answer for that was ¡®up to her elbow in scorpion guts¡¯, I ventured closer with a sigh.


    I briefly considered keeping a distance from the splash zone. She was chopping bits off with gleeful abandon, making the remains rain down all around her. But, since I was already in a similar messy state, I just kept walking until I was right next to her.


    ¡°Hey, Mia. What are you doing with all the scorpion thingies?¡± I asked eloquently as she expertly stripped fleshy bits from yet another section of hardened, ¡®dead¡¯ armor.


    ¡°Hayden! Look at this.¡± The cat girl shoved a piece of dripping carapace into my arms. I complied with a grimace, even if I would have preferred to keep it at arm¡¯s length. ¡°Isn¡¯t it amazing?¡±


    ¡°Um, yes, amazing, but why are you collecting it?¡±


    Mia shot me a dazzling smile, then turned back to prying off the tails. ¡°For Yules. She loves unique materials, remember? I¡¯m not sure whether she can enchant these, since they don¡¯t like mana. But even if she can¡¯t, the armor alone would be incredible. Maybe weapons, too. I want something that¡¯s good for stabbing.¡±


    The cat girl paused, then looked down forlornly at her gold-covered claws, like they had betrayed her.


    ¡°My claws didn¡¯t cut all that great, and I didn¡¯t want to keep whacking the things with my sword,¡± she whined. ¡°It would have gotten damaged.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ a lot of good points,¡± I muttered quietly, taken aback.


    The idea of materials hadn¡¯t even occurred to me. Somehow, since joining the legion, my notion of currency and value in general had gotten skewed. I was starting to see souls as the only thing of real value.


    That wasn¡¯t true though, was it?


    Without the mana crystals, I would be much slower getting through magecraft layers. Even the materials I stole from Berlis had been a wonderful gift for Yules, which she was ecstatic to receive and experiment with. Hell, some of those materials were in my armor.


    Mia¡¯s mention of an additional weapon further piqued my interest. My dual wielding style technically worked through a sword paired with a long dagger, yet I had all but dropped the dagger part due to the quality of my sword and the relative weakness of my off-hand. But if I had an impressive enough dagger¡­


    I couldn¡¯t focus exclusively on acquiring souls. f I started to ignore everything else in favor of murder, my progress would stall out. At the very least, I would be closing off opportunities that could be highly beneficial.


    So, rather than try and talk the cat girl back to normal levels of excitement, I rolled up my sleeves to help her.


    Well, I tried to roll up my sleeves. They were so soaked in mutant scorpion blood that they clung to my skin. Giving up, I dug my hands into another critter carcass.


    I couldn¡¯t wait to finish harvesting so we could clean up.

 Chapter 82: A Defended City

    No matter how many cleansing spells I cast, I couldn¡¯t quite feel clean after I was done helping Mia. There was an oddly fishy smell to the scorpion creatures that clung to me throughout the work. Maybe it was my imagination, but I swear it was still clogging my nose days later.


    Mia, on the other hand, was downright chipper.


    She didn¡¯t go off the deep end again, but she always had a satisfied air about her, along with a small smile that lightened the mood effortlessly. Even trekking through the sands wasn¡¯t quite as horrible with a bundle of enthusiasm by my side. The smug looks she kept shooting at my dimension pouch were honestly adorable.


    Thankfully, the pouch wasn¡¯t overwhelmingly heavy from all the harvesting we did. Just as I had noticed back on Berlis, its enchantments reduced individual item weight to nearly nothing. I might as well have been carrying around an empty bag.


    Not that the cat girl¡¯s behavior left any doubt about the existence and worth of the bag¡¯s contents. She was oddly protective of the pouch while on her harvesting arc, but the second we were done, she had shoved it into my hands, watching closely for my reaction to the loot. When I openly thanked her for all the help, she flushed and ignored me for a while.


    It was just like dealing with a cat. She had dragged the equivalent of a dead mouse over to me and asked me to pet her (metaphorically, of course). Once satisfied that her performance had been properly appreciated, she hissed and trotted away.


    I was never going to let her hear the comparison, of course. I didn¡¯t want to start sleeping with one eye open for fear of getting stabbed.


    Funnily enough, while the result of the clash was a decisive victory in Mia¡¯s and my books, the situation was not the same for the rest of Glaustro¡¯s unit.


    The battle put them on edge.


    The sand had already put a dent in the illusion of their invincibility. Now, they knew it wasn¡¯t just the sand that posed a real threat to them. Anything crafted out of local materials had the potential to go straight past their defenses.


    Paired with the fact that locals were tougher than any one of us had suspected, the situation was¡­ cause for concern. None of the demons would ever admit outright that they were scared, but I didn¡¯t need demonic abilities to pick up on that emotion.


    I was worried at one point that Glaustro might have a revolt on his hands, particularly when some members of the unit demanded to hear his plans for our destination. The typical demonic approach of ¡®Burn it down. Questions? What questions?¡¯ was no longer enough. They wanted a proper strategy for tackling the local threats.


    This led to a rather enlightening conversation with Bronwynn.


    ¡°Why are they so worried?¡± I asked, exasperated. I had just watched Glaustro reassure yet another demon that yes, we had a plan, and yes, they would be informed in a timely manner when we were about to reach the city. ¡°It¡¯s not like we can permanently die so long as we¡¯re careful.¡±


    Bronwynn arched an eyebrow at me, then shook his head in that patented ¡®disappointed parent¡¯ manner. Not sure how he pulled that off. As far as I was aware, he didn¡¯t have any kids.


    ¡°Just because we can¡¯t be put down for good doesn¡¯t mean dying is an enjoyable experience. There¡¯s the cost in souls to consider, for one thing. For another, depending on the way a demon dies, they might come back weaker. No one wants to take chances with the power they¡¯ve been hoarding.¡±


    The former wasn¡¯t news for me of course, but I didn¡¯t understand how the latter worked. Thankfully, this was Bronwynn. While the question was potentially insensitive, I knew he wouldn¡¯t punish me over it, even if he decided not to answer.


    ¡°How does that work, exactly? How would you kill a demon if you wanted to weaken them?¡±


    The question earned me a taunting smile. ¡°Planning to weaken any specific demons, hmmm? Maybe some whose name starts with an ¡®M¡¯?¡±


    I scowled at the reminder of Mercutio¡¯s existence. I couldn¡¯t say I expected the cold flash of rage that tried to consume me. Thankfully, I managed to get ahead of the overwhelming emotion, but not before Bronwynn flinched slightly.


    Since he was obviously aware of my emotions, I could only answer sincerely. ¡°You know what? I wouldn¡¯t mind a chance to do that.¡±


    ¡°I bet.¡± He shook his head, looking away. ¡°Anyway, it comes down to soul integrity, of course. Most of the time, when a demon dies, it¡¯s because their body was destroyed. Most civilizations out there either don¡¯t approve of soul and mind magic, or they don¡¯t have the power to wield them on a level that could hurt a demon effectively.¡±


    ¡°There are exceptions, of course,¡± I pointed out, because of course there would be.


    The sheer number of mage factions out there was kind of ridiculous. All it took was one mage growing powerful enough to leave their plane, and boom! Suddenly, their world entered an era of stellar exploration and invasion of other worlds.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    The latter wasn¡¯t a requirement, of course. But judging from the little I knew, someone had neglected to tell mages that.


    Magic civilizations always grew as aggressively as the Abyss itself, simply on account of the need to sustain themselves. When a mage really got going, the material demands of their specialized craft ramped up exponentially. To create some of the items I glimpsed in the general¡¯s office would have required the resources of entire world clusters.


    So, a powerful mage had two choices. Escalate, or sit pretty until someone stronger came along to claim everything you owned.


    It wasn¡¯t a pretty choice. Yet, if one thing could be universally trusted, it was the greed of every thinking humanoid. Few were the races benevolent enough to escape its grasp. Even fewer had the power to cling to their beliefs without getting enslaved or horrifically slaughtered.


    With a start, I realized I had allowed my thoughts to drift away again. I forced my attention back to Bronwynn as he continued to explain.


    ¡°Of course there are exceptions. Anyone who wants to make it on the universal stage has to be able to put up a fight somehow, and there are few other ways to deter demons effectively.¡±


    ¡°I take it soul damage is much harder to come back from, then?¡±


    ¡°Much, much harder.¡± Bronwynn¡¯s face darkened, and he scowled at the world in general. ¡°The Abyss will always do its best to resurrect you. Always. That doesn¡¯t mean you¡¯ll enjoy the way you come back to life.¡±


    The demon fell silent, and I let him stew in whatever emotions he was feeling. I didn¡¯t want to push and potentially alienate one of the few people I liked.


    After a few moments, he went on. ¡°I once saw a demon who got torn apart by angels during a Cradle invasion. He came back as a screaming, sobbing mess, and then went catatonic for months. They barely put him together again, and that¡¯s because he had friends and family willing to shove souls down his throat until he recovered. Those who get savaged that badly and don¡¯t have a support network do not meet pleasant endings.¡±


    I imagined that for a second. Knowing what demons were like, a person left insensate on a resurrection square might not necessarily be killed on the spot, but I bet they would at least be robbed. And if someone was feeling petty enough, it would be easy to finish them off then and there.


    Better than dying over and over again? Maybe.


    But if the end result was that void where the Abyss slowly munched away at you for eternity¡­ maybe not.


    ¡°Well, I kind of regret asking, now,¡± I muttered honestly, receiving an amused snort for my trouble. ¡°So, try not to get killed. Got it. That was the plan already, so at least I don¡¯t have to shuffle things around to compensate for it.¡±


    I tried for a teasing tone of voice, but judging by the look Bronwynn gave me, he wasn¡¯t buying it. Probably because he could sense the dread coiling through my chest.


    ¡°There¡¯s also the fact that soul injuries are horrifically painful, and that at least some of the jinn are guaranteed to be able to cause them,¡± Bronwynn said. ¡°Add to that all the weird things we¡¯ve encountered on this world already, and yes, people are worried.¡±


    I sighed, turning to look again at the unit¡¯s demons. When all the mystique and power were stripped away, they really were like any other race.


    Well, maybe a little more murder-inclined, but we all had our flaws.


    ¡ª


    When Glaustro suddenly announced one morning that we would reach our destination in the early hours of the afternoon, the reaction was mixed.


    Sure, everyone was relieved that we wouldn¡¯t have to march through the excruciating desert anymore. But the recent blow to the demons¡¯ confidence muted the celebration significantly. Instead of marching in with their usual arrogance, people were checking over their gear, reading through spell books, and even practicing as we advanced.


    I admit I enjoyed watching the latter. An up-close, in-person view of demonic spellcasting was always fascinating, and this time had the extra benefit of not being on an active battlefield. The tricks I picked up in those few hours were well worth the stress my comrades were experiencing, even though they would blast my head off if they knew I was thinking that.


    Ready or not, we eventually caught sight of our destination. At first, it was just a hint of greenery rising among the colors of the desert. The closer we got, the more awe filled my heart.


    What we were approaching was an oasis, though only by the loosest of definitions.


    There was water there, of course. A large, expansive lake glittered under the sun, ringed by verdant plant life.


    But the central focus of the ¡®oasis¡¯ was the massive tree jutting from the lake¡¯s center. By comparison, the lake was a mere puddle gathered around the tree¡¯s roots. The titanic piece of flora was taller than even the highest towers of Berlis¡¯ capital city. Its branches stretched into the sky, blotting out sunlight for many a mile.


    Not that the area around the tree was dark or dreary. The opposite, in fact. The giant was made of some green, crystalline material that seemed to absorb and refract every ray of sunlight. Within its branches swam billions of light-dots like fireflies. They shifted about, winked in and out of existence, and made the foliage resemble the prettiest night sky I would ever have the privilege to see.


    The leaves were special, too. A radiant silver color, they shed just as much illumination as the rest of the tree.


    I wondered briefly if the gargantuan plant was actually using the absorbed sunlight to produce its spectacular light show, or if the glow was a display of some innate magic. Unfortunately, it made no difference when it came to the purpose of our presence there.


    Said purpose was, just as unfortunately, deeply interwoven with the tree.


    All through the tree¡¯s branches stretched stairs, bridges, and homes. They appeared to have been carved into the floral behemoth. Some of the extracted crystalline material had obviously been repurposed into construction, judging by the beautiful facades and stately, glowing appearance of the buildings.


    Interestingly enough, though the leaves were large enough to support such a thing, no one had made their home on the silver structures. The reason for this became apparent when one of the leaves detached itself from the tree and gently drifted down to the ground.


    Well, I say gently. This was a leaf bigger than a decently-sized apartment building. When it finally reached the ground, and it took a while for that to happen, it sent up an explosion of sand that made my eye twitch.


    We were ridiculously far away from the whole spectacle, and I could still swear that I felt the ground shake underfoot.


    Now, I was no expert on the subject of jinn strategies and troop placement. However, seeing such an impressive landmark with obvious magical properties and an untold number of magical uses, I could safely assume it would be well defended.


    There would be no easy victory here. And from the look on Glaustro¡¯s face, he knew it.


    I don¡¯t know when we stopped, or who was the first to falter. All I know is our entire unit of terrifying demons ended up standing there, perfectly still amidst the howling winds, staring blankly at the massive tree and its parasite city.


    We really couldn¡¯t catch a break.

 Chapter 83: The Contribution of a Mortal

    ¡°This is¡­ unexpected,¡± Glaustro ventured, eyes fixed on the massive tree-city in the distance. The demon¡¯s countenance was stormier than the weather, which proved just how much trouble we were in.


    ¡°What would you like us to do, commander?¡±


    Loyal as ever, Tybalt was already there and waiting to relay Glaustro¡¯s orders. The sergeant, though, struggled to formulate a response.


    I could tell he was tempted to back out, but there was something else in his eyes, too. It was hunger, greedy and eager. While not uncharacteristic of demons, it was a rare sight on Glaustro¡¯s face. The only time I could remember seeing it was when I offered him the soul of an important mage on Berlis and earned a commendation for the info it yielded.


    ¡°How did no one warn us about¡­ this?¡± Bronwynn gestured vaguely at the tree. ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯d like to know. This isn¡¯t a landmark you can easily miss, but I don¡¯t remember seeing it on any of the reports. Don¡¯t we have lists of areas we shouldn¡¯t try to invade without a considerable force? This should have been included.¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t too far-fetched that no one discovered this city before,¡± the crystalline demoness noted thoughtfully. ¡°The sandstorms prevent any long distance scrying, so we¡¯ve relied on scout reports so far. If none of them ventured this deep into enemy territory in this direction, we could have missed it.¡±


    ¡°This? This?¡± Bronwynn demanded, clearly not buying it.


    The demoness shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m simply presenting a theory. I¡¯m not saying it¡¯s correct.¡±


    Bronwynn scoffed, but Glaustro cut him off before he could argue further. ¡°Regardless of how our intelligence division missed such a glaring landmark, this is an opportunity. Even just a report of this place would be valuable. Of course, the exact value depends on how much information we can provide. It¡¯s a definite fact that the jinn who attacked us came from here. If there are other jinn who made incursions from this base, that only boosts the value of the information.¡±


    ¡°And also puts a time limit on how long we have until someone else reports it,¡± piped up the scorpion-tailed demon I had seen jab himself with a monster¡¯s stinger. ¡°After all, you¡¯re hardly the only one who knows a seer, commander.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s less of a possibility on this forsaken world, considering how the storms affect seers. But yes, you¡¯re right.¡± Glaustro was eying the tree again, and there was something about his expression I didn¡¯t like.


    That hunger was growing in his face, replacing all former unease. As far as my hopes were concerned, this was bad news. Every instinct I had was warning me to stay as far away from that tree as I could.


    Methialia, unfortunately, did not share my reluctance to move forward. ¡°What do we do, then? Personally, I say we should at least try to get close enough to scout the place a bit better. If we just turn around now, we might catch flak from higher-ups for doing a subpar job.¡±


    ¡°You, of all people, are not someone I expected to volunteer for more work, Methialia,¡± the scorpion demon teased.


    The comment earned him a scathing look. ¡°Unlike you, Thelrod, I know when I need to push and when I should rest. I just don¡¯t want them to send us out again if they decide we¡¯ve been underperforming. If it¡¯s between doing a little scouting now, or trekking back to the nearest city only to be sent back to scout anyway, I¡¯ll always choose the former.¡±


    ¡°You seem to agree on what we should do, so cut out the bickering,¡± Glaustro snapped. Judging by his hardened eyes, I guessed he had made up his mind.


    I was, unfortunately, correct.


    ¡°We are moving closer to that thing,¡± the commander ordered. ¡°Make sure to be on the lookout for scouting spells and the like. Also, put up whatever camouflage or invisibility spells you have. I know the weather will wear at them, but we¡¯re doing this right.¡±


    Some of the demons complained, especially those who were put in charge of covering everyone who didn¡¯t know the relevant spells. Still, the troop got moving remarkably fast. The promise of rewards for the information within our grasp seemed to overcome the demons¡¯ initial concern.


    I was put into the same group as Bronwynn, Mia, the chipper demon who sparred with me when I first visited Glaustro¡¯s compound in Torment, and one very grouchy mage. We had just enough competent mages to assign ¡®only¡¯ four dependents to each, but they still grumbled. Apparently, it was hellishly difficult to maintain a spell over multiple people, especially with the sand tearing away at the connection between caster and target.


    So when we finally started inching closer to the tree, we weren¡¯t completely invisible. Instead, we moved as barely visible wraiths. The invisibility spells the demons could leverage were amazing, but not even superb spellcasters could get around several important limitations.


    Most notably, ¡®invisibility¡¯ was not the same thing as ¡®intangibility.¡¯ While no one could see us directly, it was easy to notice the large, suspiciously humanoid-shaped patches of empty space where sand couldn¡¯t pass through.


    According to our ranting mage, there was a whole subset of fiendishly complex spells that addressed this problem. But Lagyel¡¯s environment already made it difficult to maintain even simple spells over one person, let alone four. Because of this, it was impossible for our assigned mage to hide us completely.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    It obviously pained him to admit this, so none of us pushed. Most of the other groups were in the same boat anyway.


    The closer we got and the more we saw, the less I liked our situation. This wasn¡¯t some minor city with a single defender we had already slain. This was a major stronghold of our enemy, and it showed.


    Countless people were milling about the many bridges and open areas of the city. Worse still, above it all hovered the figures of multiple jinn.


    My eyesight was excellent, but from this distance, I was straining just to make out vague silhouettes. As such, I couldn¡¯t gauge exactly how many different jinn I had spotted. But judging by the colorful blurs of their clothing?


    There were at least seven different fliers lurking in the tree¡¯s branches.


    And that didn¡¯t include any that might be inside the palatial complex at the top of the tree, looming up like a massive crown.


    I thought it was a trick of the distance at first, but as we approached, I became absolutely certain of the thing¡¯s dimensions. The manor built around the trunk was big enough to house giants five times the size of an average demon. I wasn¡¯t strictly a betting man, but I knew a big boss lair when I saw one.


    If that thing didn¡¯t contain at least one high-level jinn who could ruin our day with laughable ease, I would cut my arms off and find a stretch of sand-blasted countryside to retire in.


    Surely, if I could recognize the truth of our situation, the unit¡¯s leadership could as well. But thanks to the work of our mages, I could only see the four people who were under the same invisibility spell as me. I had no way to gauge the reactions of Glaustro and the other important demons.


    Bronwynn, though, looked more tense than I had ever seen him.


    An odd sense of impending disaster settled on my shoulders, making my heart beat like a drum inside my chest. Something was telling me that I was about to die, horribly, and that I should flee at once.


    I ignored it, because what else could I do?


    This was a decision I came to bitterly regret twenty minutes later.


    That was when the first group of advancing demons crossed some invisible line, and the trap was sprung.


    Our only warning was the pained grunt of their mage as she fell to her knees. Then Glaustro¡¯s entire group, at the head of the procession, popped out of stealth as one.


    ¡°Stop! Someone support Kayla, we need to¡ª¡± Glaustro started shouting immediately, but it was already too late.


    A wind stronger than any before whipped up ahead of us, and countless streams of sand converged around an invisible nucleus. The swirling cocoon grew rapidly, towering over all of us in a matter of seconds.


    ¡°Group up! Prepare for combat! Formation¡ª¡±


    Glaustro tried, he really did, but the howling wind drowned out even snatches of his voice.


    Then the cocoon broke, and the life it had been nourishing spilled forth.


    It was some kind of golem or construct, which was better than a whole group of jinn, but only barely. The thing was a collection of huge rocks spiraled by pulsing rings of sand. From its formation, I already knew its mana resistance would likely be a massive pain.


    Worse, runes glowed all over its chunkier body parts, channeling so much power that they were practically bleeding mana. Even the sand twisted and snapped into runic patterns as it moved. Whoever had constructed this golem was a true master.


    To complete its awakening, six amber ¡®eyes¡¯ snapped to glowing life on the golem¡¯s approximation of a face, and the thing reared back.


    Far too belatedly, I realized it was gearing up for a blow. Its arm snapped forward like a whip, and a tendril of sand unfurled with unnatural speed to strike at us.


    The only reason I lived past the opening move was because it wasn¡¯t aiming near me.


    Sand exploded around us and shot into the sky in a blinding curtain. Screams filled the air. My mana senses were barely working, but I could still feel the implosion of mana as several demonic lives were snuffed out.


    A second explosion followed, and a third, and a fourth.


    Then Glaustro roared.


    His rage overshadowed even the noise of the storm. There was a tremor under our feet. The sand shifted and solidified. Glaustro was stabilizing the ground beneath the troop, allowing us to keep our footing.


    The next moment, a fist of stone larger than the golem burst out of the sand. It hovered for an instant, then came down on the construct with crushing force.


    If the distant city had somehow missed all the commotion up to this point, that boom and subsequent sand explosion definitely got their attention.


    Yet the construct didn¡¯t fall.


    As if the golem itself was screaming, the winds around it intensified, rising to a deafening pitch. Their force pushed all the raised sand away, and we were treated to the sight of the golem facing Glaustro¡¯s spell head-on.


    It was a contest of strength, and the golem was winning.


    Chunks of the fist were already missing where the sand had managed to wear away the mana keeping it together. Still, I thanked our lucky stars that Glaustro¡¯s specialty was earth. Any other element would have been blown away by now. Only the extreme stability and inherent physicality of earth elemental spells allowed Glaustro to put up a fight at all.


    The commander roared again as his mana erupted around him in a corona of red light. Rocks rose from underneath the sand to envelop him completely. In a show remarkably similar to the appearance of the golem, Glaustro turned into a titan of stone that rivalled our enemy in size.


    His previous, damaged spell was integrated into this new form, giving Glaustro¡¯s stone incarnation a lopsided appearance. It didn¡¯t seem to hinder him, though. In fact, the titan¡¯s footing seemed remarkably resilient.


    When the golem reared back and struck with the same kind of attack that had already claimed demonic lives, Glaustro¡¯s new form didn¡¯t even flinch. He just brought his massive fist around and pile-drove the thing into the ground, then continued to bash it again and again in a frenzy of violence.


    I could barely see what was happening, but I could tell Glaustro wasn¡¯t victorious when the golem¡¯s screeching winds picked up yet again. This time, its attack came in the form of gale force winds that whipped the sand against all of its enemies.


    The deluge slammed into me like a wall. I managed to stay upright, thanks only to my spell improvements and the stabilization of our footing from Glaustro¡¯s previous spell. But the sand still felt like a grater against my skin, and this time, someone was actually wielding the tool with considerable force and skill.


    Trails of pain burned all across my body. My breather and goggles felt like they were being hammered into my face. They didn¡¯t break, thank goodness. Demonic craftsmanship prevailed, but it hurt more than almost anything I had experienced before.


    If I was having it rough, the demons were far worse off. I heard screams all around me, barely audible over the howling winds. The one weakness of their bodies was working fiercely against them. If something didn¡¯t change soon, we would all be wiped out.


    The moment of realization filled me with a bitter sense of irony.


    Out of everyone there, Mia and I were best suited to assist Glaustro in his desperate efforts. Our purely physical bodies made us tougher against the sand attacks. And if that construct was high-level enough to start developing a sense of self, a real soul, then my sword could be one of the few things capable of damaging it.


    I had no clue how, but it was down to the contribution of two mortals to tip the scales in our favor.

 Chapter 84: The Death of a Defender

    With my startling realization came the need to act, and I gave it my best shot. Pushing as much mana as I could gather into my body strengthening technique, I strained against the wall of sand.


    I was just starting to make progress when the gale force winds suddenly ceased, and I shot forward like a rocket. I didn¡¯t even have time to yell before I landed in the sand face-first.


    Sitting up, I wiped my goggles clean and looked around. At least the sudden drop in the winds gave me a chance to assess the situation.


    Things weren¡¯t going great for us.


    Demons lay scattered across the battlefield, most of them alive, but so battered that they were struggling to heal. While regeneration came naturally to demons, extreme levels of it did not. Only those who knew the relevant spells could regain their footing quickly.


    Mia was doing much better.


    The cat girl was on her feet, and if her glowing golden eyes were any indication, she was angry. She pressed closer to the golem faster than I could move, but she didn¡¯t get very far before the thing acted again.


    The lull must have allowed it to regather mana. Despite Glaustro¡¯s repeated punches, it sent another wall of sand rocketing over the battlefield.


    I barely managed to reach Mia in time and tackle her to the ground. The sand swarmed over us. It dealt damage, yes, but at least it didn¡¯t blow us further away. We had to reach the golem before we could try anything.


    Unfortunately, the closer we got to the construct, the stronger the sand became.


    We had only managed to gain a few yards, but they made a difference. It was a struggle to get back on our feet, let alone push forward. I wasn¡¯t sure how many more sprints we had in us. Even if my sword could hurt the thing, getting close enough to strike was starting to look impossible.


    Didn¡¯t mean we wouldn¡¯t try, of course.


    We were ready the next time a break came in the golem¡¯s attack. As soon as the wind began to slacken, we forced our bodies up and started sprinting. By the time the sand curtain dropped, allowing us to see our position, we were a few yards closer.


    I didn¡¯t just focus on running, though. Instead, my eyes desperately scanned the body of the construct.


    Golems like this were far beyond a mage of my level, so I didn¡¯t have all the necessary background information. What I did know was that, even when they gained full sentience, they weren¡¯t perfect.


    An artificial creature like a golem does have many advantages over ¡®born¡¯ life forms. No leftover flaws from millennia of evolution. No limitations on energy reserves. No arbitrary lifespan to race against constantly.


    On the other hand, their limitations are just as significant.


    A golem, unless purposefully built for such a thing, doesn¡¯t have the ability to grow and improve on its own. Even if a construct developed high intelligence, it could never invent unique spells or applications for mana. It would always be dependent on the enchantments placed on it by its creator.


    Those enchantments governed everything about a golem, including its channeling of mana. Break the correct enchantments, and you could cripple the golem¡¯s mana-related powers until it got repaired.


    As for this construct¡¯s amazing ability to manipulate sand? That came down to its enchantments, too. The only question was which runic set fueled that ability.


    I focused my inspection on the thing¡¯s arms first, simply because I was betting on the good old human-ish tendency to stick to the familiar. Golem needs to shoot an attack? Bind the enchantment to its arms, of course, because that¡¯s where the mage would cast their spells from.


    Unfortunately, while I could make out a ton of runes around the golem¡¯s arms, they were all related to the whip attack. I couldn¡¯t find a string or matrix that would enable the wide-ranging wall attack the thing was currently ravaging us with.


    That¡¯s when memories from the golem¡¯s previous actions flashed across my mind.


    It sounded like it was screaming before it first pulled off the sand-wall, so¡­


    I didn¡¯t fight the urge to smirk when my eyes landed on the golem¡¯s ¡®throat.¡¯ Like a beautiful, complex collar, a whole string of runes wrapped around the neck several times, stretching down and ending in a core matrix just above the center of the golem¡¯s chest. I wasn¡¯t an expert, but I could still spot several references to ¡®sand¡¯, ¡®control¡¯, and ¡®wave¡¯ among the runes.


    That¡¯s my first target, then.


    While I was busy sprinting and analyzing the runes, Glaustro was still hammering away as best he could.


    The golem¡¯s attack had ravaged his conjured form. This forced the demon to alternate between dealing further blows and scrambling to repair his own construct.


    It was an impressive sight. His gigantic left arm delivered punch after punch to the golem¡¯s center mass. His right arm transformed into a hatchet that he brought down in a rain of blows, aiming for his enemy¡¯s joints. Yet all the while, boulders kept snapping out of the ground to fix the damage to his own construct body. It almost looked like they were melting into him, flowing over his stone form to fill in the gaps caused by the powerful sand.


    His attack wasn¡¯t entirely useless. Miniscule cracks were spreading over the golem, so Glaustro¡¯s repeated strikes were doing something.This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    Unfortunately, just like Glaustro, the golem seemed capable of drawing on its environment. Grains of sand rolled constantly over its rocky exterior, slipping into the cracks and sealing them over in seconds.


    I had to throw myself to the ground again as the golem¡¯s next ¡®scream¡¯ reached fever pitch. Mia hit the sand next to me. Then the sand-wall surged over us, turning the world into a haze of darkness, pain, and frustration.


    This isn¡¯t going to work. It just isn¡¯t. The breaks are too short for us to advance fast enough, and this deluge is already pushing us away.


    I tried my best to hold on, to anchor myself, but I still slid a few inches backwards. There just weren¡¯t any convenient handholds available. Whatever Glaustro had done at the start of combat to stabilize the ground had dissipated. There was only sand under us now, and it definitely wasn¡¯t working our favor.


    If we tried to rush closer to the golem, we would be blown away by the next wall of sand, and then we would be even worse off than we were at the start.


    Frustration threatened to boil over in my chest. I thought of all the stuff I could do if I was just stronger, wiser, with more training and spells under my belt. Even the spell Glaustro used to communicate with us when we first entered Lagyel would have been invaluable, because I could ask for his support.


    But I can¡¯t even¡­


    My thoughts trailed off.


    It was true that I didn¡¯t know the spell he had used, but that didn¡¯t mean I was without options if I wanted to communicate with him. Demons had the ability to sense the emotions of mortals. What better way to catch his attention than through that ability?


    I had never tried to invoke my feelings on purpose before. In fact, I had worked hard to keep them tightly controlled, for fear of losing myself to madness.


    Now, though? Now, I could only hope this vulnerability would become a strength.


    I focused on my what I wanted, on the desperate hope that I could assist Glaustro, on the need for my harebrained scheme to work, on the frustration that filled me when I realized I wasn¡¯t good enough even to make it to the golem. I gathered all of it, and then I tried to scream it to the world.


    I floundered.


    Rather than a psychic scream, I felt more like I was straining myself on a toilet. The lid I always kept over my emotions nowadays was still firmly in place.


    That made anger bubble up. And this time, instead of pushing it down, I embraced it. I let it flood every inch of my being, then struggled to direct it towards something productive.


    It was difficult. The need to thrash and scream and punch things like a toddler was overwhelming. Somehow, I managed to keep myself on track.


    I need you, I need you, I need you¡­ Please, help me!


    The words were my mantra. I wrapped my very soul around my memories of Glaustro, both the good and the bad, and fused them with my ardent desire to get us all out of this mess.


    With an instinctive twist of mana in my chest, the emotional tide came streaming out of me, like a high pressure valve had suddenly broken.


    For a beat or two, nothing happened.


    Then an outside force clamped me in its grip, prying my mind open with laughable ease.


    ¡°This better be good,¡± came the mental whisper of my commander. I could have wept. ¡°Or I will make you regret distracting me.¡±


    Well, he¡¯s a little grumpy. That¡¯s understandable.


    I winced when I realized I didn¡¯t know if he could hear idle thoughts. Come to think of it, I didn¡¯t know if I could reply on purpose at all, but I gave it a good ol¡¯ college try.


    ¡°I can hurt it. I can stop these attacks. I just need you to get me closer to it.¡±


    A beat. Then: ¡°Are you certain of this, soldier?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Definitely. Probably. Maybe?


    It was a distinct possibility, but I carefully kept all my creeping doubt out of our mental dialogue.


    If I didn¡¯t do anything, we were dead. If I tried and we died, then I would just get punished later, which was probably better than lying here and waiting to get smashed or grated to death.


    ¡°Be ready.¡±


    I didn¡¯t know what he wanted me to be ready for, but I obeyed anyway. Instinctively, my hand snaked out over the sand, searching blindly until my fingers brushed against Mia¡¯s arm. I traced it to her hand, and then I held onto her for dear life.


    The moment came as soon as the sand-wave began to slacken again.


    A massive fist of stone rose beneath us, lifting us up and closing around our bodies protectively. I thought he would slam us towards the golem, but instead, we soared through the air with blinding speed and crashed into the back of Glaustro¡¯s construct.


    The pain I expected never came. There was no impact. Like falling through the surface of the lake, the construct¡¯s back swallowed us, and I had to fight hard not to panic.


    I could feel the press of stone enveloping me on all sides, locking me into place, making it impossible to breathe. My mind swam, both from the lack of oxygen and my rising panic, but then I felt some force dragging us through the construct¡¯s body. With a boom of rattling stone, I found myself getting pushed out.


    That first gasp of air was the sweetest thing I ever tasted, however limited by the breather still attached to my face. The experience was only slightly soured by the fact that I was immediately dumped onto the golem¡¯s chest.


    Glaustro¡¯s construct had abandoned its more humanoid appearance. It now looked like it was melting over the golem, locking parts of the enemy¡¯s body in place. Already the thing¡¯s ¡®legs¡¯ were mostly immobilized, and Glaustro had one of its arms trapped as well.


    His massive stone fist was pressed against the golem¡¯s chest, which was where I had been thrust out, along with Mia.


    It was sheer preservation instinct that drove me onwards.


    The golem was already starting to whine with the rising winds that would send out a new wave of sand. From that close, I could see the runes around its throat slowly lighting up as they filled with mana.


    I scrambled further up the thing¡¯s chest. My sword came up, and then I drove it down with both hands. It parted the stone with remarkable ease, slicing straight through several of the glowing runes.


    I should have expected the result.


    A thrum like a hiss escaped into the air, and then a whole section of the golem¡¯s neck exploded.


    I was launched backwards, my momentum only bleeding away when someone snatched me out of the air and spun me around. I caught a hint of Mia¡¯s ears and tail, then I was pushed back onto my feet. I stumbled, but kept my footing, managing to dive straight down and stab the golem a second time.


    I dashed around, striking again and again, dealing as much damage to the golem¡¯s runes as I could. Each blow caused an explosion, but Mia followed me around, catching me before I could get blown away.


    Rune after rune was savaged, and the effects were showing. Slowly, the construct¡¯s whine grew discordant, then petered out entirely.


    It was still fighting in Glaustro¡¯s grasp. Sand was trying to climb up its form and fill in the cracks, but it couldn¡¯t move fast enough. Finally, when I drove my sword into a particularly complex rune matrix, the creeping sand stopped as well.


    A whoosh of wind streamed past me from the sheer amount of mana leaking out of the golem, but when that stopped, the construct was no longer trying to throw off Glaustro¡¯s massive stone form. It stood there, completely still, a lifeless hunk of rock.


    I practically collapsed as relief and exhaustion caught up with me.


    We did it. Somehow, we did it.


    My ears were ringing. My eyes were blurry. I could have passed out then and there.


    I would have, if the piercing sound of a horn didn¡¯t rip through the air in that moment.


    My head snapped up, my eyes fixed on the distant city. Already, a cloud of fliers was forming above the massive treetop manor.


    The city¡¯s forces were coming for us.


    And we had barely managed to kill one golem.

 Chapter 85: Laid Arms

    I stared at my approaching death with a detached sort of despair.


    It didn¡¯t feel quite real, to be honest. The distant dots of whatever fliers the jinn were preparing didn¡¯t look too dangerous. And if they were¡­ well, what exactly could we do about it?


    Mia, on the other hand, did not share my morose resignation.


    The cat girl placed herself in front of me, teeth bared and long claws glinting in the sunlight, ready to rip into anything that eventually descended upon us.


    ¡°Good work, you two.¡± Glaustro¡¯s pained grunt as he melted out of his rock construct snapped me out of my daze.


    Suddenly, I wanted to shout, or do something similarly inane. Approaching death, remember? But the calmness of my commander stopped that urge in its tracks.


    Instead, I watched silently as he strolled up to the center of the golem¡¯s chest, then stomped his foot down.


    The golem¡¯s body trembled, but that was it.


    The demon grunted again, this time in annoyance, as he took a knee. His hands lit up, then literally parted the rock, digging deep into it.


    Eventually, he tugged out a glowing orb the size of a watermelon, covered in densely packed runes. It was perfectly spherical, and it bled mana. The only blemish on it was a single crack, which I easily recognized as my sword¡¯s handiwork.


    I must have gotten lucky while indulging in my rune stab-fest. In my panic, I definitely hadn¡¯t thought to aim for a core. Not that I would have known where to look for it, of course. Golem makers could stick the core into any part of their creation.


    Still, this particular golem¡¯s crafter was definitely a stickler for tradition. The core had been treated as a literal ¡®heart¡¯, and placed accordingly. I wanted to scoff, but that had worked out in our favor, so the mage-creator got a pass.


    Even so¡­


    ¡°Sir?¡±


    I wasn¡¯t sure what to ask him, so I settled on that one word. ¡®What the hell are you doing?¡¯ and ¡®Is that really important when we¡¯re about to die?¡¯ seemed a tad disrespectful. After all, it was only his intervention that had made it possible for me to go all stabby-stab on the golem in the first place.


    ¡°Keep this, soldier. You deserve it.¡± Glaustro held the core out to me with a smile, and I hesitantly took it.


    He turned away, took a deep breath, and then made his mana manifest around him again.


    I stared at the core for a second before shrugging. If he wanted me to have a little more loot before the end, who was I to say no? Come to think of it, thanks to my soul-bound dimensional pouch, I would get to keep the core even after our imminent death.


    This perked me up a little.


    While I was struggling to force the core into my dimensional purse, Glaustro raised his arms dramatically.


    Mana pulsed out of him, spreading much more easily now that the sandstorm wasn¡¯t backed by the golem¡¯s magic. All over our battlefield, rock constructs rose out of the ground, scooping up demons as they went.


    Some of these demons protested, and some even managed to evade capture due to their relatively stable condition, but most looked like they had been put through a blender. Sadly, that description wasn¡¯t too far from the truth.


    ¡°Let it happen,¡± Glaustro bellowed. After that, his conjured minions finished collecting demons in short order.


    Our losses weren¡¯t as bad as I had feared. The golem¡¯s initial attacks took out a bunch of demons, but the subsequent waves merely caused serious injuries. As far as I could gauge, we lost about 200 soldiers.


    A fifth of our forces. But when the alternative was a full wipe, it didn¡¯t seem so horrible.


    Face creased in concentration, Glaustro motioned with his hands. His gigantic construct, already half-melted over the golem, collapsed fully. Then it rose up again, forming into a massive snake. The rock-minions carrying demons walked straight into the snake, melting into it and taking their cargo with them.


    I blinked, then slowly turned to look at my commander. He quirked an inquisitive brow at me.


    ¡°Well? Are you coming, or do you need an escort as well?¡±


    Wisely, I decided to shut up and follow him.


    The snake opened its jaws. Its rocky tongue unfurled, presenting a perfect ramp for Glaustro, Mia, and me. We strolled down this ramp to join the rest of our unit inside the snake¡¯s belly.


    The space would have been cramped if not for the many nooks carved into the walls, where the most heavily wounded demons had already been laid. Some were unconscious. Still, the majority of the survivors were on their feet, waiting for us.


    I was relieved to spot Bronwynn towards the front of the group. Quickly looking over his injuries, I relaxed further. He had bloodstains on the front of his armor. His left leg was savaged, and it looked like he was barely able to stand. He had small cuts all over his exposed skin. But his eyes were bright and aware, and he was currently assessing me and Mia the same way I was assessing him.


    The snake¡¯s mouth closed behind us, plunging the space into darkness. The whole construct trembled as it began to move.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    A second later, light winked into existence above the crystalline demoness, her ice body twinkling softly under the illumination of her spell.


    ¡°Well, that was a right mess,¡± she said cheerfully, which earned her more than a few scowls.


    Glaustro just looked amused. ¡°I admit I did not expect them to be capable of weaponizing the local environment. Not to that extent. By all rights, it doesn¡¯t make sense. If the blasted sand is mana resistant, then they shouldn¡¯t be able to manipulate it so easily.¡±


    Was my mighty commander whining? It sounded suspiciously like he was.


    ¡°And yet they are,¡± his aide jumped in with a sigh. The normally impeccable Tybalt looked haggard. His clipboard was nowhere to be seen. ¡°We saw it when that jinn attacked the city, too. I should have prepared for something like this.¡±


    ¡°It was an unfortunate string of events, yes, but let¡¯s not act like we earned nothing. Just knowing that such golems exist will be invaluable for high command. Be proud. We survived, and we will be rewarded for it,¡± Glaustro declared, visibly lifting the spirits of everyone inside the snake¡¯s belly.


    Tybalt, however, seemed determined to force reality on us. ¡°Only if we get away, commander.¡±


    I was not the only one who grimaced at that. Anxiety briefly thrummed through my chest, but the placid look on Glaustro¡¯s face calmed me somewhat.


    ¡°We are currently underground. I am empowering my construct to burrow at top speeds. It¡¯s not faster than flight, but they will have a much harder time tracking us. Otherwise, well¡­ if we die, we die. If it comes to that, I will detonate my construct so they can¡¯t inflict a worse death on us.¡±


    My expression soured. I really didn¡¯t want to know that my commander¡¯s calm mood stemmed entirely from his confidence in an easy death.


    To my surprise, the reassurance actually did the trick for the rest of my comrades. Smiles slowly peeked through on the demons¡¯ faces, and some even began to chatter excitedly. I could do little but stare at them in shock before the mystery resolved itself in my mind.


    They were used to it.


    They were used to fighting all-out, to the very best of their ability, then laying down their arms and accepting death. As I scanned through the crowd, I realized that not a single demon looked tense or uncomfortable.


    How many times had they all died and then returned to life? How many times did someone have to go through that process before they became entirely indifferent to it?


    I didn¡¯t know, and I wasn¡¯t sure I would like the answer.


    I definitely didn¡¯t view the prospect with any degree of indifference. Judging by her stiff posture and the way her eyes were darting around, neither did Mia.


    ¡°You okay?¡± I whispered, trying not to bring attention to her emotional state, even if the effort was meaningless in a room full of abyssal empaths.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like being underground. Or in tight spaces. Or in tight underground spaces,¡± Mia hissed.


    I had to fight to keep my face blank. Mia was not, in fact, worried about our potential deaths. No, she was dealing with a phobia.


    Well, that makes me feel silly.


    I decided to drop it. It felt kind of nice to give up on the worrying anyway. Instead, I dragged Mia down to lean against the construct¡¯s wall.


    ¡°Come on,¡± I said, extracting my grimoire. ¡°We need to work more on your spell optimization. With your natural advantages, you should be much faster than me when we¡¯re both running the same technique, but you¡¯re barely staying ahead.¡±


    The cat girl bristled at the ¡®insult¡¯, but it did the trick. She held half the book while I held the other, and we bent our heads over the diagrams and detailed drawings of the human body.


    She grumbled fiercely about the drawings, saying the technique did not account for her ears and her tail, and that whole muscle groups were entirely different. Nonetheless, we studied diligently for a long time.


    It was a wonderful distraction, not to mention practical, but it didn¡¯t entirely drown out all the worrisome activity around us.


    I was keenly aware of Glaustro¡¯s rigid posture and pale, sweating face. I couldn¡¯t ignore the fact that his aide kept surreptitiously slipping mana crystals into the commander¡¯s hands. They were far shinier and larger than any mana crystals I had seen, but the exhausted sergeant still worked through each one in a matter of minutes.


    It was also hard to miss when, several hours into our retreat, the tremors of the construct¡¯s motion grew far more turbulent.


    At one point, an explosion rocked the snake¡¯s entire form, making chips of stone rain down from the ceiling. The demons all tensed at the sound, but their faces remained blank, maintaining the fa?ade that nothing notable was happening.


    I found it much harder to be so casual.


    Even knowing that I would come back, even having gone through the process once already, I felt like a vise was squeezing my chest. My pulse hammered away, so loudly that I was pretty sure Mia hear it. Regardless, she definitely sensed my anxiety.


    She made no comment, bless her heart, and even doubled down on her questions about the spell, but that only helped a little.


    ¡°Prepare to engage.¡±


    Glaustro¡¯s words were as sudden as they were disquieting. The next moment, everyone was on their feet with weapons ready, myself included. My eyes darted all over the snake, though there was no way I could spot an approaching throat through its walls.


    I didn¡¯t have to wait for long.


    With a low whine, something broke through the ¡®ceiling¡¯ and crashed down to the floor. I had just enough time to assess the intruder before the demons were on top of it.


    The creature, if it could be called that, was a short, stubby thing. The trunk of its body was a tube, adorned with runes and glowing with power. Its face was a collection of drill-like instruments, with an opening that accepted the incoming sand and dirt. It had four legs and a long, sinuous tail with a star-like shape at the end. Dirt was currently streaming out through that tip like water through a hose, but without new material coming in, the stream quickly petered out.


    It was obviously a construct, but I couldn¡¯t tell whether its original purpose was pursuit, or if the jinn were just using whatever they could get their hands on.


    Then I had no time to puzzle over such details, because dozens of the drilling constructs began breaking into the snake.


    I spun immediately towards the closest intruder, slashing my sword confidently at its spinning drills. Unfortunately, the impact rattled my arm and sent me skidding backwards.


    The incensed thing decided to pursue. I leveraged my strengthening technique, combining it with the movement technique Mia taught me. Flashing past the creature, I raked my sword along its side this time.


    Once again, my attack proved to be of little use. The only result was a shower of sparks.


    Then Mia descended on the construct like the wrath of some unholy god, her enchanted sword wreathed in flames. The thing faltered. The next instant, Mia stuck her implement of death in the creature¡¯s artificial jaws and poured all her mana into it.


    Flames blazed white, then blue. The thing finally stopped moving as its enchantments failed and its insides melted.


    ¡°Your sword defective?¡± Mia asked with a smirk, looking immensely proud to have scored the kill.


    I felt my lips twitch into a smile despite my annoyance. ¡°No. These things just aren¡¯t alive.¡±


    My voice was bitter. I had finally encountered it, my one weakness: fully artificial life forms. The golem skirted the rule, having been granted true life by its creator. But if anything lacked a soul, I could not cut through it with ease.


    Maybe if my sword was several upgrades closer to its final form, I could accomplish something. At the moment, though, I was stuck.


    Thankfully, the creatures went down quickly after that.


    The demons seemed to be taking all their frustrations out on the constructs. And unlike the scorpion beasts, these were not durable enough to shrug off unnaturally strong blows. Shortly after the final construct fell, the tremors of our ride evened out, returning to their pre-attack levels.


    I didn¡¯t quite dare believe it yet, but there was a strong chance that we were finally safe.