Alm and Bruno looked at Ruri with seriousness; she had undergone a remarkable transformation and had become a woman of strong convictions. Her determination had always been her strength, surprising them with her resilience on several occasions.
Now that Fey had departed, the whale removed the demon from the inventory. It was crucial to gather information about the last enemy, of whom they knew very little. Something intriguing caught Alm and Bruno’s attention, prompting them to meticulously examine all the memories.
An hour later, they opened their eyes, clearly perplexed. The last demon in their memories was a remarkable being. His name was Yamar, and his violence and savagery far surpassed those of the other two. During the second war of this planet, where the three demons faced off against the lifeforms, Yamar stood out in such a way that it is likely the fear and trauma felt by all races towards the demons were shaped by his actions; his bloody mark persists to this day.
The problem was that, surprisingly, it was Yamar himself who, at some point, seemed to completely change his personality and aura. It was he who convinced the other two to end the war and make a pact with the lifeforms. After that, he secluded himself in the forest near the monolith; over the thousands of following years, the other two had minimal interactions with him.
He only emerged when one of the twelve families plotted something against the other two. Then, the three would unite; however, he clearly harbored no wild desire or ambition. He only helped as if he were trying to save his brothers.
"During the war, he only used the technique that mixed Yin and the laws of the earth. But all this time, the other two managed to master the laws that existed in the Abyss Seal and the Skyward Forest," Alm explained to Ruri, who listened with intrigue. "In the memories of the two demons, there was no other strange law in that seal. Due to the mental power of the monolith, we can assume that he managed to develop something with it."
Ruri nodded; if his power was mental, she would be the key to victory, as she had the most advanced mental cultivation. However, the lack of information was concerning; fighting in this way represented a high risk, as her master always taught her.
"Well, we don’t have a choice. We have to capture the three for the plan to work; we’ll have to risk being caught off guard," Alm concluded bluntly.
Despite the risk, Alm and Bruno now had another hidden assurance. The memories of the two demons confirmed another thing: both had twisted and chaotic minds. This wasn’t evil; it was as if the two were cursed since birth, with this curse piercing their souls day and night, persisting throughout their existence. Over the millennia, it only worsened, deeply affecting them; the savage actions of the third demon in the past were the result of this.
Alm snorted heavily; the culprit of it all was the troublemaking behemoth. The father and creator of these three demons was its avatar. Even after the avatar had been killed, the behemoth still used its connection to the bloodline to try to affect these three; unsuccessfully, of course.
These three demons already had a twisted mind inherited from the avatar. After being captured by humans, they underwent tortures and indescribable horrors. In the end, thanks to these experiences, they developed personality and free will, escaping the dominion of the avatar.
Even after everything was over, the behemoth continued to torment them secretly; in their minds, it was as if something tried to dominate them and take away their free will daily. Even Alm and Bruno felt that if they were in a similar situation, they would have gone mad and caused a bloodbath.
The two demons were exactly that, and a third one who used mental power with an unstable and disturbed mind was intriguing. If he could really use his mind, his power should be wild and powerful; however, the power of the mind should be the opposite of that. It was a fatal flaw, and as soon as he used it, Ruri could completely dominate him.
After explaining everything to Ruri, they prepared to leave. The demon was now a puppet with no chance of disobeying, but still retained his power and cultivation. Quitera was completely unconscious, with her soul sealed and wouldn’t wake up. They left her on a mountain, with the demon as her temporary guardian. After completing everything, they would come back to get her.
Both were fully recovered within hours, thanks to Almin’s tattoos and pills. The whale had a physical cultivation and could recover physically very fast; but Ruri didn’t, so she always carried the pills for that purpose. As for the tattoos, they could restore the Qi in their bodies.
Almin didn’t disappoint over these years; he had already surpassed his master and mastered the first level of the Alchemist God’s Dao long ago. Now, he should be a notable alchemist even in the divine world, and when he mastered the second level, he would certainly be one of the greatest in the universe. For Ruri and the others, his pills would become increasingly essential.
They advanced through the forest towards the monolith, moving slowly and keeping themselves as hidden as possible; their mental power and Yin concealment technique were pushed to the limit. The best way to deal with the demon in his domain was to catch him by surprise.
The day turned into night, and sparse clouds covered the sky, with a waxing full moon standing out, creating a peculiar atmosphere.
They focused on reaching the monolith still during the night. With the absence of the sun, there was little Yang in the environment, which favored the Yin concealment ability, in which Alm was specialized.
At midnight, they felt they were close to the monolith, a subtle mental pressure seemed to envelop everything around. Alm and Bruno noticed this, but their instincts didn’t warn them of imminent danger; so, they decided to move forward, believing there was no trap.
An unusual silence hung over the forest, interrupted only by the gentle whisper of leaves in the trees. There was no presence of beasts, as if they sensed something peculiar that was about to happen.
Gradually, the moon emerged between the trees, its initial glow pale and silvery, contrasting with the darkness around. But as time passed, the moon began to take on a deep red hue, as if immersed in blood.
Its reddish rays cut through the darkness of the forest, painting everything around it with a dark and sinister aura. The air became heavy, charged with restlessness, as the blood moon reached its peak, casting its crimson light over the silent landscape of the forest.
They could already see and feel the monolith a few kilometers away. It was a strange black structure that blended with the darkness of the night. Alm and Bruno watched the phenomenon in the skies, intrigued. Just when they decided to invade the place, this rare phenomenon happened. It seemed like a premeditated marking of their movement...
Amidst these thoughts, the two halted their steps. They felt, with their souls, a swift approach.
They weren’t the only ones; even Ruri felt it clearly. They immediately realized it was the demon, but he wasn’t trying to hide completely. It was as if he wanted them to see him and approach without making a fuss.
The plan to attack covertly went down the drain. Something was very wrong. It should be impossible for the demon to sense them in the midst of this vast forest. And by his movements and direction, it seemed like he actively sought them out and found them.
The whale snorted and stood still, while Ruri tensed up and gripped the sheath of her katana. As they expected, within minutes the demonic figure emerged calmly and silently before them.
All his Qi and cultivation were contained within his body, a clear sign that he didn’t want to fight. The whale watched him with strange eyes as he approached and the crimson light illuminated his face. His aura, expression, and fluctuations... everything was very different from what was recorded in the memories of the two demons.
The demon was physically very similar to the other two. Small, with a size similar to that of a human, but his demonic and bestial bloodline stood out along with his divine cultivation.
He stopped a few meters away from the two, his eyes trembling as he spotted Ruri next to the whale, clearly a strong feeling welled up in him. Alm and Bruno watched bewildered; he seemed to be emotional...
After a few seconds, his lips moved with his eyes still fixed on Ruri. "You really look so much alike... but your aura has completely changed... we finally meet again..."
Ruri and the whale listened without understanding. Alm and Bruno felt no danger coming from the demon; their instincts were their greatest confidence. But everything was so abnormal that they were on alert.
Updat𝒆d fr𝑜m freewebnøvel.com.
So, the demon turned to the whale. He observed him for a few seconds, then his body bent completely, in a clear and sharp bow.
Still bent, he spoke softly, "You’ve finally arrived, sir. My brothers must have left you with a bad impression... but don’t take it personally; our lives have always been quite difficult. If I can help make up for the dark karma my brothers created, I will do my best."
Silence lingered; there was no response. The demon didn’t mind and calmly lifted his head. "Well, it’s hard to explain. So, I’ll first fulfill the agreement; sorry for this."
As soon as he spoke, his eyes pulsed. Suddenly, an infinite mental power surged into the world, abruptly.
Both the whale and Ruri froze; their minds were stunned by the sudden movement, without any warning. Even though they were prepared, this power surpassed even what Ruri possessed. It seemed to emanate from someone terrifying.
Alm and Bruno shifted their eyes to the demon, still stunned, then they saw a rune appear in front of him. The rune was violet and emitted a mystical and intense glow, as if it contained something within itself, something they had never seen before. It was something beyond the celestial laws, very similar to their self-created law.
The rune trembled...
Then, suddenly, it darted in the blink of an eye towards Ruri. Her body trembled and petrified; the rune hit her forehead, emitting an even more intense power. Alm and Bruno had no reaction, not even their divine souls could do anything against it.
Suddenly... They felt all of Ruri’s life force, mental power, and soul extinguish.
Ploft...
Ruri’s body fell to the ground, the rune on her forehead still glowing... but her body was completely lifeless.