Chapter 164 Two 'Little Demons'
As for Dante himself, he currently had Harold and Lucian sit opposite him. The two were silent and seemingly eager to talk to him, having learned the value of Dante during this off-time and how the families behind them were pressuring them to make use of their connection, no matter how slight.
Dante casually crossed his legs in a gentlemanly manner as he sat opposite the two and then sipped a glass of tea with a playful smile. For some reason, that smile made them shiver and want to run.
Before they could act on that thought, Dante's eyes became a little brighter, and they couldn't help but stare into them in a daze…
In the darkest depths of the Abyss Realm, where suffering and torment were the very essence of existence, there was born a demon unlike any other.
This wretched creature, known only as Grix, emerged from an egg amidst a sea of millions, each one clawing and tearing at the others for the slightest advantage in the brutal contest for survival.
Grix was not strong or imposing like some of his fellow demons, nor was he gifted with the allure that some used to manipulate their peers.
He was average in every sense, a creature of meager power and unremarkable appearance. But what set him apart was his relentless tenacity, an unyielding spirit that refused to bow to the cruel whims of the Abyss.
From the moment he hatched, Grix found himself in a nightmarish world of constant struggle. The very air was thick with the stench of sulfur and the agonized wails of tormented souls.
He fought tooth and nail for every morsel of foul sustenance, for every inch of ground to claim as his own. It was a ceaseless battle against his fellow demons, who showed him no mercy.
As the years passed, Grix's existence was one of suffering.
He endured torturous trials, both physical and psychological, with a grim determination. He witnessed countless atrocities, each one more grotesque than the last.
The Abyss Realm was a realm of horrors beyond imagination, and Grix was a witness to it all.
Despite his unimpressive stature, Grix did manage to eke out a meager existence. He formed alliances of necessity with other downtrodden demons, and together they navigated the treacherous landscape of the Abyss.
They clung to the fringes of this nightmarish world, always on the brink of annihilation but somehow managing to survive.
But survival in the Abyss was a fleeting concept. In a realm where the strong devoured the weak without remorse, Grix's time eventually ran out. He fell victim to a more powerful demon, his last moments filled with agony and despair.
Grix's life was a testament to the relentless cruelty of the Abyss Realm, a place where suffering was the only constant and survival was the highest aspiration.
At this moment, Lucian and Harold gasped as their eyes came to life. Both of them were completely different from before, going from ambitious youths to vicious predators with no shame and no bottom line when it came to survival.
Harold and Lucian went through the same illusion but with slight differences and obviously different names. To them, they had reincarnated into the human world and had gained new lives, only remembering their true natures now.
Dante sipped his tea with a smile as he spoke. "Two little trash demons that did not even manage to raise their bloodline grade once. You want to come and chat with me? Hahaha!"
The eyes of Harold and Lucian flickered as they shared a look and seemed to understand the true nature of the other. However, they presented confused expressions as they glanced at Dante.
"Err, Boss Dante, is everything alright? How can demons exist here?" Harold asked with confusion.
"Don't play coy. I sensed the dormant aura of the Abyss Realm on your souls when we met, which is why I told you to meet me later," Dante revealed with a smile.
He then glanced at them mockingly. "If I didn't awaken your dormant souls, you would still be walking about as two human fools who didn't know any better."
The faces of the two lads changed greatly, and they tore off their disguises. Their expressions became malevolent and crooked, which would be funny to look at through a screen but was actually very frightening when done in person.
"Hmph, big talk! Who the fuck are you, and why did you call us here?!" Lucian demanded as he bared his teeth.
Harold did not say anything but also showed a posture of hostility. They were currently testing Dante to see whether he posed a threat or not. If he didn't, they would either tear him apart or control him, and if he was, they would either flee or submit.
As low-level demons, they had the flexibility of low-level demons. There was nothing like pride or ego; all such demons among their batch in the Abyss Realm had long died before they could even take their first breath.
Dante glanced at them and smiled before lighting up his finger with a hint of his hellfire. Seeing that pure blackish-red flame, the pupils of the two lads constricted to the extreme, and their vicious postures turned into hurried kowtows full of despair and regret.
"D-D-Demon Supreme! Lord Demon Supreme!" Harold choked out with fear.
"Oh Will of the Abyss, what have I done?!" Lucian wept as he almost soiled himself from fear.
Their reactions might seem exaggerated, but the context made it reasonable. A demon supreme was more than 5 bloodline realms above theirs and practically at the top of what they knew!
If it was just death, they wouldn't be so fearful, but as Dante had said earlier by awakening their souls, Demon Supremes had methods to make them unable to escape after death and prolong their suffering.
The reason why they hadn't submitted at first was that any rank of demon higher than the last could control those below to some extent. So Dante could either have been 1 rank above them or 5 ranks above them.
The only way to tell was to provoke him, which they did, and now they were regretting it since the logical chances of Dante being such a high-level demon were next to zero. Yet, like striking the lottery of misfortune, they had actually hit that chance!
Dante extinguished the hellfire and sipped the tea. "Enough with the groveling; just get up. Do you think someone of my stature cares about the actions of a low-level demon?"
Harold and Lucian immediately sat down like obedient children, partly relieved and partly respectful. Now, they truly wondered what this fellow had brought them here for.
"Don't you think it's beautiful? This universe? So large, so powerful, and so full of mystery?" Dante began, looking up with a hint of admiration.
Harold and Lucian shared a look and seemed to understand. "My Lord, you wish to conquer this universe and submit it to the Will of the Abyss?"
Dante glanced at the two with a hint of amusement. "You tell me. You have those bodies which have intricate knowledge and memories of this universe's power, so tell me how that would be possible."
The two fellows became speechless. Of course, they knew, which was why they had not shown greed or excitement. It was impossible for the Abyssal Realm to take over this universe, even if they spat out every demon in existence.
Forget the cyborgs, androids, dreadnoughts. Forget the dark matter, psion, or disintegration weapons. Just nuclear weapons equipped by normal beings would be able to thoroughly decimate the Abyss Realm until they cried for their mother.
Then, there were those superpower users, especially the almighty headmistress who seemed like she could destroy the Abyss realm on her own.
Seeing that Dante did not have any intention to court death, the two sighed with relief. However, they were now even more curious as to what he wanted to do.
"What I want to do is none of your business. What you are to do is be compliant every step of the way. Do you understand?" Dante spoke with a cold look at the two, a hint of blackish-red fire emerging around him like an aura.
This immediately chilled the hearts of Harold and Lucian, who began to sweat. They naturally professed their understanding of Dante's instructions and 'indentured' themselves under him as his lackeys.
Seeing that they had fallen for the stick, Dante did not bother to throw the carrot over because he didn't plan to work with these two long-term. His goal in bringing them here was simple: to run some experiments he didn't dare try with people he cared about.
To that end, Dante smiled widely. "Alright, you two wait here while I prepare something. Soon, you will understand everything, and especially, your value to me."
Dante teleported back to the base in the home universe and ordered his engineer bots to begin building something he had long drafted for this situation.
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