Chapter 153 34.4 - First Step [Interlude]
Reiner looked at his hands, feeling something was amiss.
'What was I doing?'
Something was different.
It was as if, something had possessed him. The anger he just felt, the fear, all those emotions. They were so extreme that, it wasn't normal.
But before he could even think of anything, a sound echoed inside the room of the research.
CLAP! CLAP! CLAP!
It was the sound of clapping.
'What?'
Then he realized. There was one other being with them inside this place.
The sole reason why he was in this state.
'I forgot?'
He realized; he had forgotten the existence of the assailant in the room.
At that moment, it felt unnatural.
"It really worked…."
As the clapping continued, a figure emerged from the shadows.
The attacker revealed himself, wearing a dark, creepy mask that concealed his face.
His hood draped over his head and obscured any glimpse of his hair. The attire, pitch black like the abyss, merged seamlessly with the shadows surrounding him.
The aura exuding from the mysterious figure was suffused with darkness, but underneath that layer, a faint silver-colored mana emanated. It was a strange and ominous combination, creating an unsettling presence.
But the moment Reiner saw the attire, he realized it was the attacker immediately. The moving shadows and the arrows coated with mana matched the figure perfectly.
TAP! TAP!
As if to instill more fear into its enemies, the once-silent figure slowly moved while making sounds.
As the clapping ceased, a low, eerie whisper emanated from behind the mask, cutting through the dim silence.
"Congratulations. You've made it easier for me," the figure mocked, his voice carrying a tone of sinister satisfaction. "Fighting amongst yourselves like rabid beasts. Truly, you've proven yourselves worthy of following a bunch of dogs."
Reiner's eyes narrowed in a mixture of anger and desperation as he glared at the masked figure.
'It was this fucker.'
The sinister presence of their assailant fueled the fiery rage within him.
'I will kill him.'
"Grr…."
Gritting his teeth, Reiner harnessed the last remnants of his demonic energy, unleashing a primal roar as he charged at the hooded menace like a wounded beast.
"RAAA!"
The anger he felt coupled with the fear of death now turned him into nothing but a lump of disgusting flesh not resembling a human.
SWOOSH! His movements were fueled by a reckless determination, driven by the fury of a cornered predator.
But, the moment his blade met with the supposed attacker, the only thing he cut was the empty air.
'Huh?'
"You don't learn, don't you?"
The hooded figure's voice echoed, the sentence hanging in the air like a venomous promise.
SWOOSH! SLASH!
Before Reiner could comprehend the meaning behind those words, the attacker swiftly moved. His already tired and worn-out body was reaching its limits, but it came nowhere close to the mental strain on his mind that accumulated in just ten minutes.
The silver-coated daggers in hooded hands blurred in the air, leaving behind streaks of deadly brilliance.
"Gah!" Reiner grunted as pain flared through his body. The daggers imbued with a strange silver mana, cut through his demonic skin with an efficiency that defied the chaotic nature of the ongoing battle.
At that moment, Reiner felt the true fear once more.
'No….I can't die….I can't die….'
The door of the death was opened, and someone was seemly peeking through that door.
"YOU BASTARD!"
Reiner shouted, trying to fend his fear off.
RAAAAAR! Reiner's desperate roar echoed through the dimly lit room as he summoned the last reserves of his demonic energy. The crimson aura around him flared, creating an eerie spectacle that clashed with the silver brilliance of the attacker's daggers.
"You really are no different, a beast," the hooded figure remarked, his voice a chilling whisper that hung in the air.
And then, with an uncanny swiftness, the shadowy figure vanished. It was as if he had melded seamlessly with the darkness, leaving no trace behind.
Reiner, caught in the grip of fear, struggled to comprehend the sudden disappearance of his adversary.
"Where are you, you bastard?" Reiner shouted, his voice a mix of rage and desperation. He frantically scanned the surroundings, his heightened senses strained to their limits.
The room seemed to close in on him, the shadows becoming suffocating. Reiner could hear the rustling of the air, the subtle sounds of movement, but he couldn't pinpoint the location of the assailant.
With each second passed, it felt like thirty seconds. His mind was already worn out from all the things that happened, and the pain from the wounds added salt to it.
"Show yourself!" Reiner demanded, his breaths heavy and labored.
RUSTLE!
'Here.'
And as he suddenly heard a sound on his back, he attacked like a madman.
"RAAA!"
SWOOSH! SWOOSH! SWOOSH!
He swung his demonic blades in a wild frenzy, attacking the empty air. His movements were driven not by strategy but by a desperate attempt to strike anything that might be lurking in the shadows.
But his attack met with nothing, as the attacker remained elusive; his presence was felt but never seen. Reiner, now covered in a cold sweat, turned in all directions, his senses on edge.
"What's the matter, Reiner?" The hooded figure's voice taunted him from the unseen. "Can't handle the unknown?"
As the disembodied voice continued its mockery, Reiner felt a paralyzing fear take hold.
The figure's taunting continued, each word dripping with malevolence. "You, who fancy yourself a predator, are nothing more than prey in the dark. How does it feel, Reiner? The fear, the helplessness?"
Reiner's movements became erratic, his once-confident demeanor replaced by a sense of dread.
The room seemed to warp and twist around him, shadows dancing with malice. He swung his blades aimlessly, attempting to ward off the unseen threat.
"You thought you became something after getting the power you sought this much, but here you are, lost and afraid," the hooded figure's voice whispered, encircling Reiner like a vengeful specter.
FLINCH! Hearing this, Reiner flinched as the memories of the past came.
The memories of when his father was beating his mother.
The memories of when he was powerless…. The memories of when he was getting targeted by the kids who were awakened.
'How does he know?'
The sounds of rustling and unseen movements intensified, playing on Reiner's frayed nerves.
"Haah…..Haaah…..How do you know?"
His breaths came in ragged gasps as the oppressive darkness closed in. He staggered, his once-mighty frame now reduced to a trembling shell.
"People like you, seeking power to escape the past, are always the same," the hooded figure's voice echoed, a haunting reminder of Reiner's deepest fears. The room seemed to tighten around him as if the shadows themselves were constricting his very essence.
"How do you know?" Reiner choked out, his voice a desperate plea. His vision was blurry, as the wounds that were accumulated were now taking their toll.
SWOOSH! STAB!
And, at that exact second, before him, the figure materialized from the shadows, his silver-maned daggers gleaming with an otherworldly light. Without a word, the figure swiftly closed the distance, and in an instant, the cold steel pierced Reiner's heart.
"ARGH!" Reiner cried out, the pain searing through him. "BURGHK! Then, blood started flowing from his mouth as he felt his demonic heart not functioning.
As he felt his consciousness sweeping away, he heard the last words of the attacker.
"We are probably the same….You had just chosen the wrong master to follow."
With those last words, he felt his consciousness fading, as the last thing he had seen was the cold, shiny blades.
***********
In the real world, without any dreams whatsoever, there are consequences of actions. Everything has a price.
If you seek strength, you need to pay a price.
That will be either in the form of time to spend on training or in the time of money to spend or resources…..
But, then, where do the demon followers stand?
Do they train for the powers they get from demons?
Do they spend mana on treasures to increase their strength?
No, they do not. Any person without money or talent can become a demon follower. That is the reason why those who were abandoned by the world chose the path of the demons.
The world is not a fair place.
Some don't have the money to spend on all those resources…Some don't have time….And some don't have the talent.
Therefore, rather than accepting reality as it is, by the nature of humans, they look for other options.
Options that make them stronger.
Demons just exploit that fact and make use of the sought-after strength.
They give the demon followers the strength they desire.
But, just as I said, everything does have a price.
What do demons get from giving such humans demonic energy?
Or, what negative effects does it have on humans?
Just like in any social structure that belongs to sentient beings, there is also a hierarchy in the structure of demonic followers.
And for those that are rather on the lower rank of the scale, the resources they were given are also on the lower side. Their demonic energy is rather raw and unrefined, which makes it very hard to control.
Essentially, since humans were born to use mana, the existence of demonic energy inside them is unnatural. And because of that, the body repulses the external being. But the more you are subjected to such energy, essentially, to adapt that common fact, the more your body changes.
Those adaptations make you closer to a demon, and that is also one of the biggest reasons why once one uses the demonic energy for a long time, they would no longer be able to return to their human body.
The changes happening in them are too big for their own good.
In any case, the demonic energy is raw. The lower-rank demonic energy makes the people subjected to it more prone to emotional fluctuations, making their rationality more berserk.
That was where a thought ticked in me.
While I was fighting with these two in the dungeon, I realized their demonic energy and its quality was a lot lower than when I fought with Fred.
Considering Fred was not that of a high-ranking demonic human, that meant these two were on the bottom rank.
Therefore, I decided to test something.
'Berserking Vial.'
There was a potion in the game that made monsters berserk. It was a common-grade potion, and it was very commonly used by the players since, essentially, by making monsters berserk, you could make them fight with each other and then last hit at the end to get exp.
Then I thought, if they are lower-rank demonic humans, can't I do the same thing for them?
Then, I referred to the ingredients of the Berserking Vial but only altered some of its contents to make it more efficient against demon followers.
Then, I put the substance into the arrows, covering the tips with the poison.
It was just an experiment. Even if it didn't work, it wouldn't matter that much, but if it worked, that would give me direction in the future in this aspect.
And here we were.
Standing in front of those who once tried to kill me but then lowered themselves enough to not discern the enemy and ally.
Just like the lowly demons they followed, the dogs shared the same disgusting aspect.
'Like the owner, like the dogs.'
The anger in my heart as I looked at the disgusting demon followers didn't cease. The feeling of hatred was still there.
'It is not enough.'
I thought to myself.
This was nowhere near enough.
'This is the start.'
But, even then, it wasn't meaningless. I had confirmed my abilities.
'I should just clean up and leave.'
Looking at the dead bodies lying on the ground, that was what I thought. Though before leaving, I didn't forget to take their watches.
After all, I still needed to take care of the instigator.
Just like that, the real first step for my revenge was complete.
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