Chapter 3: Mortal Gleam

Akros finally got off the bed, coming back to his senses.

I just had sex with a woman I met yesterday. Sex is way better than I thought. Wait, did I impregnate her? Oh shit.

Beta activated a spell that sucked the sweat off of them and the semen out of her dress, the bed sheets, and even her womanhood. The gunk was compacted into a ball that evaporated on the spot leaving nothing, not even the scent of sex left. Akros watched it all with his jaw to the floor.

"Impressed?" Beta giggled. "I'm a maid. Naturally I have the means to clean up a mess."

"I-I guess. I'm still accepting the fact that we just..."

"Had intercourse even though we barely know each other?"

"Yeah," Akros put his boxers back on, concealing his family jewels once more. "You've eliminated the chance of pregnancy, so there's nothing to regret."

"I'm glad you think that way... but you see..." She squirmed nervously, poking her fingers together. "it's, um..."

He impatiently smacked his tail against the ground, startling her. "Say it already!"

"I've marked you as my mate!" Beta blurted. She covered her face with her hands shamefully, leaving Akros to stare at her gobsmacked once more.

"You- hold on, are you some kind of beastkin?"

"Werewolf. I followed my instinct which told me to mark you as my mate, so nobody else would take you..." Beta smiled sheepishly. "Honestly, you have a really nice figure, so I saw you as a potential mate from the start. I'm sure the other maids have similar ideas."

"Wha?"

Wait wait wait. I don't plan to stay in this world for too long, I can't be breaking hearts if I can help it. I may to have to come back for Beta, because right now I have no means of bringing her into the Abyss. It'll reject her, I think. I need to make her a pseudo demon or something. Maybe give her a ring that allows her to stay in the Abyss? That may cost a lot of souls, but... I really do feel strongly for her. Even after a single day. Maybe I'm just so deprived of female contact that I fell for the first woman I saw? No, this isn't love yet. More like lust. I do like her a lot, but this isn't love. Or is it? When was the last time I felt love? It's been so long I can't remember...

"Akros? Are you okay?" Beta was properly clothed now, waving a hand in front of his face. He jumped.

"I-I'm fine. Just thinking," He cleared his throat, then glanced at the clock between Beta and Delta's beds. His eyes widened. "Oi, the time."

"Hm? Oh, we should meet up with the others now. We're not late, don't worry," She reassured, grabbing her black and silver scepter and mask that Demiurge gave her. 

They were in fact, late.

"Where were you two?" Demiurge asked, his usual smirk missing from his face. Akros gulped at his stern tone. His tail flicked anxiously. Beta was slightly more calm, but still avoiding eye contact with Demiurge. Then something unexpected happened.

"They were doing something noisy in our bedroom," Delta said flatly. The pair in question froze, staring at her in betrayal. The other Pleiades, however seemed confused more than anything. 

"Really? Do you mind telling me what exactly that was sort important in your bedroom that it caused you to be late?" Demiurge's frown started to twitch, slowly becoming a smirk again. He knew.

"We were just um, sorting out where his bed would be and-" Beta started, only to be cut off the gun wielder.

"How does that end up with you moaning like a bitch in heat?" Delta scoffed, shocking everyone in the room. Akros covered his face with his hands. Beta turned crimson, trembling. She couldn't even form words.

"Whaaaat?!" Solution and Alpha cried. Entoma tilted her head.

"What does that mean, Delta?" The humanoid insect asked innocently. Her human voice made it even worse sounding. One would think she honestly didn't know, if she wasn't asking intentionally to fluster Beta further.

"It means-"

"Enough!" Akros smacked his tail against the floor, producing a loud bam! sound. He glared at Delta, humiliated and impatient. 

He wanted to get on with Demiurge's plan so he could kill humans. The lack of violence in the last day made him feel empty. It was something he was so used to, he wasn't whole without it. His heart sank as he came to that realization, but he decided now wasn't the time for brooding. Nor was it ever, he was determined to have no regrets or anguish about his actions as a demon. 

"We are in the presence of Lord Demiurge, yet you quip about our private business? Such insolence!"

Silence spread over the Pleiades, all of them looking at Akros in surprise, then at Demiurge, who cleared his throat awkwardly.

"Thank you, Akros. Now, we've already gone over the plan. However, there's been some complications. We must not kill a handful of individuals. Evileye, who'll be with Momon, for one. She most likely will fight against two of you when Momon confronts me at the square. When that happens, the rest of you fighting Narberal are to disappear in smoke creating by rubble or magic. Akros, when you are fighting in the streets, you must be cautious. If you encounter an influential figure such as the king, the head warrior, or the leader of Blue Rose, you must not kill them. You should be able to discern the king and head warrior easily. The leader of Blue Rose is a blonde human woman, who wields a dark broadsword. She should also stand out among the kingdom's soldiers. Everyone understand their roles?"

"Yes, Lord Demiurge!" Seven voices rang out in unison.

They teleported into the royal capital. As Demiurge set up the hellfire ring, Akros and the Pleiades got to work capturing the local residents. 

As he went about, Akros was once again surprised by his own apathy. He felt nothing at all for these humans, even the ones he killed because they tried to fight back. All he felt was the satisfaction at a job well done and adding souls to his stock. Akros did need to start increasing his magic energy stat, so he could promote. 

He didn't plan on staying in this world for too long, but wanted to remain long enough to reach the bottleneck of his magic energy. This world was far too convenient for him, mainly due to him being on Nazarick's side. He wanted to test the strength of the strongest humans around tonight: the head warrior and Blue Rose's leader. If they couldn't measure up, that essentially meant no human could. 

If so, he could rebel from Nazarick and go on a killing spree if he got desperate for souls. However the idea of one of the guardians hunting him down was far from ideal, so he would play fetch until he grew powerful enough to rebel. Worse case scenario was that the world would expel him, as it was inevitably due to his lack of an active demon contract. The magic concentration of this world was quite high though. It would take quite some, possibly years for him to be expelled. 

After locking another batch of citizens away, he was met with Delta leaning against the warehouse. 

"What? Are we done or something?" Akros said rudely, still miffed from her words earlier. She nodded.

"Yes, we are done. But that's not why I came to talk to you. I want you to know that when you fucked Beta, I was in the room the whole time."

"...bakana! I never found your presence and neither did Beta. How...?" Akros looked at her cautiously.

"I am a master assassin, if you noticed me I'd have to report you for hiding your true strength," Delta said nonchalantly, as if it was to be expected. His jaw almost dropped before he got a hold of himself, reminding himself that he was surrounded by those who were created with a high amount of static power. They were powerful, but had no growth. He would outclass all of them eventually.

"Well, thanks? I'll keep that in mind. We'll keep it down next time."

"You'd better. I like sleeping, so if you two keep me up at night I'll put a cap in your ass. You hear?"

"So harsh... what are you, jealous?" Akros took a gamble. Delta struck him as a tsundere type anyways, so he figured why not? 

Delta blushed under her mask and growled at him. "Why would I be jealous of you two mating like animals?"

"One, Beta is a werewolf, so that's racist. Two, you're a virgin who's chances of getting laid are nigh to none because of your attitude. Tell me I'm wrong," Akros grinned slyly, agitating the pink haired girl further.

"Shut up! How do you know anything about racism or attitude? You're only..." Her voice trailed off. He snorted.

"Yeesh, a little mad? I'm only as old as you, maybe a little older," He lied. "This isn't the first world I've been to, Delta. How else would I know manners or etiquette?"

"S-still, I'm not a hopeless virgin! One day I'll find a man who wants me!" She retorted, falling right into his trap. She gasped upon realizing her mistake. "Wait..."

"So you are also a bitch in heat. Classy. You know, you'd be a lot more attractive if you lost the attitude," He sighed, speaking from his heart. He made the mistake of being quite sassy in his past life, so much so that he pushed people away. Even now he had sass, but maintained to a level where it was tolerable. He also had to be careful not to provoke those who could kill him.

"Whaaaat? Who are you calling a bitch!? Are you saying I'm ugly?!" She yelled, now even angrier than before. He facepalmed as if disappointed, even though his tail quivered in anxiety. He didn't want to get shot, so he quickly reaffirmed his point.

"No, silly. Men like a woman who's nice. Problem is, you're not nice."

"You... you jerk!" Delta screamed and promptly vanished, leaving Akros alone. Once he felt her presence disappear, he sighed. What would he do with her? More importantly, what would he do now? The human forces would take time, possible days to come rescue the citizens. Until then, he had nothing to do, besides meditate.

Akros floated in the middle of the street, coming to a peaceful state. He didn't fail to notice the artificial demons spawning nearby. Hellhounds, a giant gluttonous slug type, and gargoyles. He suspected Demiurge wouldn't summon anything too strong due to his existence. 

This was meant to be a test for Akros, so he was sure somebody from Nazarick was watching his every movement. He didn't mind revealing his ki abilities now, as he had an explanation for it. As he meditated, time around him passed faster. Before he knew it, he began to hear the cries of soldiers killing or being killed by the artificial demons.

He thought he'd look cool, like a boss waiting for the player to arrive, if he remained in meditation until the humans reached him. After all the demons on his street were cleared out, the human soldiers approached him warily. One ran forward arrogantly in an attempt to pierce Akros with a spear, making the demon scoff. 

The soldier got smashed into the ground by his tail. Akros always did appreciate how long it was at times like these, humming contently. He sensed only regular foot soldiers nearby, so he used his tail to kill any who got close enough. They couldn't pass by him as his tail reached across the whole street due to Akros being in the middle of it. 

After a dozen died, the kingdom's soldiers began to retreat in fear. It was then that the heroes chose to reveal themselves. 

"This demon is mocking us! Let's kill it!" An angry female voice, perhaps middle-aged? Akros remembered the Blue Rose guild having such a member. 

"Easy, Gargaran. Don't fall for such obvious bait," A younger female voice, more stoic sounding. Likely the leader of the group, he devised.

He finally awoke from his meditation, standing straight. He cracked his back and knuckles before equipping Nightfall from his inventory. He slammed it into the road, creating a small tremor. He whistled in admiration for his weapon, then grinned maliciously at the humans.

A blonde woman wielding a dark broadsword (Lakyus), a brutish woman wielding a war hammer (Gargaran), twin ninjas with slightly different color schemes (Tia/Tina), and a tanned man in full plate armor (Gazef Stronoff). Akros identified the leader of Blue Rose quickly, then assumed the man was the head warrior of the kingdom, due to the relieved cries of the regular soldiers.

"I am Akros, demon of the Abyss! Long has it been since I have tasted human flesh... let's reset that timer, shall we?" Akros bellowed, putting his edgy, demonic voice to good use at last. 

"I'm afraid I can't allow that. As head warrior of the kingdom and my king's trusted aide, I will cut you down!" Gazef wasn't fazed by his taunt. "Come, Akros!"

"Hmph, quite the bravado," Akros snorted in contempt. "Very well."

He launched himself as fast as he could, appearing in front of Gargaran in less than a second. She didn't have time to swing her hammer when Nightfall crashed into her chest, causing it to explode gruesomely. Her insides flew out behind her corpse, making Akros question his actions. 

Maybe I've overestimated them? Or am I stronger compared to humans than I previously thought? Or was it 'Shatter' activating due to that woman's armor?

"Gargaran!" The ninja's shrill voices pierced his ears, startling him. 

He hefted Nightfall and leaped into the air. Once he reached his max height, the humans got out of their shock and dodged his slam attack. 

"Body strengthening! Focus Battle Aura!" Gazef powered up, then roared: "Fourfold Slash of Light!"

The attack would've cut through any of the summoned artificial demons, but Akros took it head on thinking it wouldn't be enough to pierce his skin. However, he underestimated the martial art "Focus Battle Aura", which allowed the user to pierce the defenses of higher races. Gazef's blade left shallow cuts in Akros' chest and abdomen, enraging him with the burning pain of a light-based attack.

In the time Gazef needed to recover from using the martial art, Akros was already in front of him. The members of Blue Rose moved slow in his perception, so he could fight one at a time. Grunting from the pain, he palmed the head warrior's chest, sending him flying into a nearby building. Gazef's rib cage was shattered, but he clung to life. 

"Foolish humans! Did you think you stood a chance against me, a true demon?!" The four slashes on his chest began to slowly heal thanks to his demonic vitality, but the pain was ever present. The searing agony was making him lose his reason so he needed to end this fast. 

"Even if we don't, it's our duty to protect the lives of the innocent! A demon like you could never understand!" Tia shouted, holding back tears for her fallen comrade. Tina and Lakyus stood on guard, just as angry but more cautious. They weren't about to rush to their deaths.

During their indecisiveness Akros decided to retreat. If he killed too many of them, their morale would plummet which would ruin Momon's victory. The soul of Gargaran floated by her corpse, but Akros left it so she could be revived later. Nightfall already ate the souls of ten regular soldiers, so it didn't consume her soul either. 

"Of course not. Life is survival of the fittest, yet you choose to protect the weak over yourself? What a joke," Akros sneered, before escaping at breakneck speeds. He used ki to accelerate his air speed so the humans couldn't track him. Fortunately for him, his timing was perfect. He went to Demiurge, who was wrapping up his cinematic battle with Momon. Akros landed on top of a building nearby, waiting for him to call the teleport.

On a rooftop nearby the recovering Blue Rose and kingdom forces, Shalltear took one last look at the pitiful humans before she returned to Nazarick. 

"He is more capable than I expected. To take a full power strike from the kingdom's strongest warrior and survive with minor wounds. His durability is praiseworthy. He must've lied about his tail on purpose. Clearly it is very strong, maybe he wanted a weapon for appearance sake? Not that it matters now. He is worthy of a weapon of Nazarick, but no more."

With that she vanished.

Akros sighed in relief as his wounds finally closed up, not even scarring. Demons seemed to never scar as they healed, which Akros found odd, but it certainly was helpful. If he scarred from every injury, he'd be quite ugly by now.

When the Pleiades minus Narberal gathered around Demiurge, Akros appeared next to them using a technique he called 'flash step'. 

Really I'm just doing the quick warp thing characters do in dragon ball when they pop up from nowhere. I'm slowly getting the hang of using ki to affect my movements. At this rate, I should be capable of instant transmission soon. If not, I can make it a skill using fallen and noble souls. Speaking of which, I need more souls. A lot more. Gazef or Lakyus may have noble souls, but I'm not allowed to kill them. Well, maybe I can ask permission to go and kill people. I don't like being a static existence, I must increase my power!

Nobody bat an eye at Akros' appearance, as he expected. This kind of movement may still be slow or on par for them. He and the others were warped back to the conference room they were in a couple days ago (earlier this chapter, really). 

Akros put Nightfall back into his inventory, and the Pleiades took off their masks with relieved sighs. 

"These masks are so stuffy, Lord Demiurge," Beta whined. She glanced at Akros, noticing the blood splattered across his body. Licking her lips as she locked eyes with him, her expression told him everything. He grimaced with a light blush, crossing his arms indignantly.

"Well done, ladies. Akros, I trust you did as instructed?" As he took off his mask, his smirk wasn't there. 

"Yes, Lord Demiurge. I killed only regular soldiers and one member of Blue Rose, not the leader of course. I injured the head warrior out of anger. For that, I ask you forgive me."

"Not at all, that's perfect! If you left him untouched, it'd look suspicious. Now, you all are dismissed. I recommend a visit to the bathhouse."

Later that day, as it was morning when the attack ended, Akros swam around the hot spring. He found that his tail was excellent in water, and his body flowed through it naturally. He could hold his breath for an very long time as well. Perhaps he was part aquatic demon? He recalled the image of his supposed father, who had black skin and fins. Were shadow demons a species of aquatic demons? Maybe they swim through shadow, he thought.

He set his thoughts aside as he enjoyed the water. What he failed to notice was that he had entered the mixed bath, and there were figures approaching him. When he poked his head out of the water for air, he discovered that a whole gang of homunculi maids, including the Pleiades, were entering. The bath was very large, as the population of Nazarick was high. 

What Akros didn't know was that is was now night, and he had spent hours in the hot spring. The group of women coming to bath were here to relax, a weekly hot spring sort of party. They entered the mixed bath because the women's bath was full, as the entire maid unit was bathing at the same time.

The ladies were chatting and laughing, so they didn't notice Akros right away. Even though they were in towels, he looked away quickly. It was that moment he realized another issue: he was naked! His boxers were in his inventory, so he felt himself harden slightly at the sight of their legs. Taking a deep breath, he plunged back into the water and went as deep as he could to avoid discovery. He felt guilty for some reason, so he decided to just hide. Eventually he would need air, but he could create air bubbles with ki barriers. In other words, he could stay submerged indefinitely. One problem remained. The spring was shallow, so he could very well be stepped on. He carefully wound his tail, the bladed tip being flat beneath his torso as to avoid lacerating one of the women. 

The water was far from clear, being white with soap. Even the Pleiades failed to notice his presence as their guard was down. He was in the center of the large pool, so when they entered they were still far off. 

However, it didn't take long for the legs to approach Akros. He wanted to avoid looking, but he had to be wary. If he played smart, he could move around their feet as they walked near. The issue with that was that he need to lay flat, and the growing excitement from the beautiful thighs surround him made it much more difficult. Some of the homunculi women sat down in the shallower areas, giving him a full view of... yeah, he got hard.

Cursing mentally, he thought of a way to escape. Under the steam and everyone's lowered alertness, he could sneak out. But that was very risky, as all of the edges of the hot spring now had women sitting on them. All hope lost, he awaited his eventual discovery.

Delta went straight to the center of the hot spring so she could be up to her neck. She thought about what Akros had said a few days prior, sighing.

"Men like nice women, he said. I'd be more attractive if I was nice, he said! There's no men here for me to date. What's the point?" She moaned sadly. Suddenly she felt the water around her feet move. "Huh?"

Akros could hear her words due to her proximity, frowning as he listened. He almost freaked out when he realized she was going to step on him, so he moved slightly left. His actions created a slight movement in the water around Delta's feet, catching her attention.

Raising an eyebrow as she sifted through the water with her feet, Delta's foot brushed against... a pole? Akros had twisted his torso to avoid her, but her ended up touching his manhood! He wanted to move away, but if he moved now he would definitely lose his cover.

Delta, now up to her neck in water, was intrigued. So she dipped her head underwater to see what she touched, after all there shouldn't be any lose pipes for her feet to touch. That was when she saw Akros, naked and very flustered, laying on the bottom of the spring. Her eye widened, then narrowed. This filthy pervent, she thought. She reached out to grab him when he shook his head frantically. He moved away from with ease, but in doing so he revealed his rock hard erection. 

Her entire face turned red, but she glared at him still. She pointed a finger at him, then make a neck slitting motion. He shook his head no, pointing to himself, then the floor, then at his wrist. Delta knew enough about watches to understand that was saying he was here first, so she calmed down slightly. She then threw up her arms, as if trying to say 'why are you here', to which he replied with a sleeping pose. That wasn't quite true, but he was in a blissful state where he lost track of time. He had been resting rather than asleep, so it was a white lie.

Delta rolled her eye, then motioned for him to come closer. He crossed his arms, shaking his head. She glared at him fiercely, nodding in response. Akros feared she'd kill him, so he'd back off whenever she tried to close the distance. They played cat and mouse in the water for quite some time until she eventually had to breathe. When she did Akros consumed a ki bubble, restocking most of his oxygen. 

When she came back under she let go of her towel, baring all for him to see. As Akros stared wide eyed, Delta swam closer until she latched onto him. He at first resisted, but quickly realized her touch wasn't violent. 

She traced his abs, his pecs, and more. She felt up his body with burning desire, he could see it in her eye. Only the way she was... groping his body did not comfort him in the least. This went on for several minutes as she thoroughly enjoyed his lean, tightly muscled build. Eventually she reached his genitals, making an odd expression.

Part of her was endless excited to finally do this, another part of her was telling her to stop. Alas, it was too late as she forsook all to her desire. She grabbed his rock hard pipe, squeezing it to the point where Akros thrashed in her grasp. Fortunately she got the message and loosened her grip. She had to use both hands to stroke his mast, the pulsing of it thrilling her to no end. 

Akros was in a different mindset.

What the fuck is happening. I've definitely confirmed that she's a tsundere, for one. But I didn't think she was actually so pent up she'd fuck me here and now, much less at all! I'll never understand women. Especially these ones, who aren't even real women, just created organisms. Now that's a weird thought. Were they made to be horny? I'm sure starting to think so. Not that I mind, but it'd be bad if I broke hearts by sleeping around. That and unfaithfulness puts me in a bad social status. So maybe I should- no, no, no! Why, Delta?!

He screamed mentally when he saw she was cupping his balls while teasing his glans. The feeling was unbearable. He tried to glare at her but his face would contort in pleasure each time he tried. So instead he smacked her ass with his tail, pushing her forward. 

Her face was full of surprise when he grabbed her arms, and formed a ki shield around them. He was careful about having it grow in size and slowly at that so it wouldn't shoot water everywhere. Once inside, the pair gasped for water. Akros glared at the pink haired girl angrily.

"The hell you think you're doing?! We can't bang here! Not now!"

"I don't care!" She snarled, pushing him down. She was stunningly strong for her petite frame. He growled in response, wrapping his tail around her waist. She tried to lower herself onto him, but he pulled upward with his tail. "Let... me... down!"

"Urgh... why are you... so determined... to fuck?!" Akros strained himself due to his arms and legs being pinned by her. His tail didn't have the raw power to pull her off, so he could only hold out for as long as possible. Then again, he didn't want to get found. Perhaps this wasn't the worst outcome. He stopped resisting suddenly, causing Delta to slam onto his stomach, missing his cock. She looked at him quizzically.

"Why'd you stop? I thought you didn't want this."

"Oh, pretend to care about how I feel, why don't you?" He snapped, letting his tail rest. He sighed, and gave her a tired look. "Look, can you at least let go of my arms?"

"...fine. By the way, I'm infertile, so you can cum inside," She went back to being nonchalant, and released her pressure on him. He comfortable, positioned his tail safely, then looked at her expectantly. 

"Well? If you want it, you can do the moving," He said lazily. He wasn't going to question the lack of love between them before they had intercourse anymore. After all, he was a demon. What need was there for emotion. Just do. If that means doing a tsundere underwater in a public hot spring, so be it.

"Are you serious? Asshole," She spat as she lined his rod up to her awaiting cavern. Akros did acknowledge how hot she looked when she was drenched with hot water. Her pink hair clinging to her body had charm to it. On top of that, the water would serve as decent lubricant...

After all of her harsh words, she was still red as a tomato. On top of that, she was being extremely slow with putting him inside, even though she fought for this. The scene was more than enough to keep Akros hard as stone. Wet squelching sounds were made from even the slightest movement between them as Delta crouched, now with his glans entirely inside.

"What are you doing? Trying to tease me or something?" Akros remarked rudely, making her growl in frustration and humiliation. She hated to be seen as a horny animal, but she wanted it -no, she admitted to herself that she wanted him- enough to ignore the shame for now. Akros wasn't making it any better for her though, almost as if he didn't want this. She came to a realization, but saved it for later.

"In this cramped space, it's not easy for me to move on my own," She lied through her teeth, but it was enough to make him move. He thrust upward without warning, hard enough to break her hymen in one go. She gasped in pain and pleasure before glaring at him tearfully. "You could've warned me!"

"Shut up! You want sex, fine! I'll fuck you like a bitch in heat that you are!" Akros snarled, grabbing her hips tightly. She braced herself against the inside of the barrier. He slid out, then bottomed out inside her vagina with a savage thrust.

"Ah! Wait, don't- Ahn!" She tried to slow him down, but in his spite he only went faster. He bucked his hips as fast and hard as he could, and with her petite size he had no issue touching her womb. Each thrust sent her an abysmal amount of pleasure, it wasn't long before she came. And again. And again.

"Oh~ yes~ this is what I wanted~" She panted, her eye losing focus. Her previously pain filled expression was now one of pure lust, no longer held back by the loss of her hymen. She started to move her hips as well, causing his cock to have more force inside her womanhood. 

"Oh shit!" Akros cursed, starting to pant himself. He could lie to her verbally, but his manhood told truth. He was actually enjoying this a lot more than he thought he would. In reality, Delta was very tight, as if trying to squeeze him dry. The pressure on his son was something he'd never experienced before.

After another ten minutes of hot, wet sex he unloaded into her. She cried out in joy at the feeling of his semen flowing inside of her, which creeped him out. He sighed wearily, now having expended most of the energy he restored. He'd have to bathe for another couple hours or sleep for just as long, which made him a little anxious. Eventually Momonga would ask for a report from him, but...

He was too tired to care. Maintaining the barrier around them was tiring, especially during sex. Once Delta used the same spell Beta did to get the semen out, Akros cancelled the ki barrier and pushed her away. Before she could protest he swam away leaving her to retrieve her towel and resurface. 

"I guess I was too forceful... but of course he didn't want it. He already has Beta, what am I compared to her?" She murmured sadly, but quickly turned happy. "It felt great, I have to admit. Maybe he'd be interested in a threesome?"

Akros swam all the way to the edge of the hot spring, far away from where Delta was. On his way he stopped to reequip his boxers, not to make the same mistake twice. He sighed underwater, thinking about the future.

I hate being a static existence. If they give me nonviolent orders I might just stop resisting this world's expulsion and return to the Abyss. At least now I have a better idea of where I stand power-wise. Still, I didn't come to another world for sex and drama. Sex is always nice, but the drama it brings is not worth my time, nor is it entertaining. Perhaps I can ask Momonga to station me with Beta at Carne village, so I can kill the prince and his soldiers when they arrive... and fuck Beta until that time comes. Damn. Here I thought I wouldn't become a demon in mind as well as body, but it's an impossible task... whatever. An increase in power will make me feel better. Or at least a place to practice ki. My flash step, as well as my beam attack need work. I still need a name for it.

Akros swam until it got too shallow, standing up. His sudden appearance startled many of the homunculi women, but they didn't make a fuss otherwise. After a surprised glance, they returned to their conversations. 

He waded through the giant hot spring until he was out, and returned to his shared bedroom. There he slept until he was summoned again, to which he was taken to Momonga with Beta. Once in front of the lich, he kneeled. But this time, he felt very bitter. He wanted to be free again, so much so that his body burned with energy. He raged against his confinement in Nazarick, although it wasn't physically a prison it was for the sake of his goals. 

Momonga was pleased with his work, and told him that he was now assigned to monitor Carne village with Beta, as the demon predicted. Once she teleported them near the village, Akros began to walk away from her much to her displeasure.

"Hey, where are you going?" She asked, miffed that he'd leave her without a word. He turned with an emotionless stare.

"To practice my moveset. Is there something else worth my time?"

"Wow, someone's cranky. Wrong side of the bed?" She pouted, poking his cheek. He grabbed her hand and yanked it, pulling her body to his. She gasped when she felt him grab a handful of her rear.

"More like I need to blow off some steam. Why don't you help me out with my... frustration?" He whispered, blowing air into her ear. She squeaked something incomprehensible, blushing furiously. He chuckled as he felt her tremble. "How about this? Lay down, I'll show you what I can do with my tongue."

"B-b-but Lord Ainz sent us here to-"

"Honey, that can wait. Even during sex we'll sense a foreign mana signature. They'll be fine for another hour, or three. Maybe more. Relax, Beta."

It took a couple more minutes of convincing before Akros got her to comply. Soon enough he was exploring her cavern with his long purple tongue, using her as practice. He estimated that if he ever met a succubus or fallen angel more powerful than him, sex skills may be vital perhaps even life saving. He didn't think twice about using Beta as a training dummy for sex, going down on her once or twice a day during their patrol duties. 

Beta would spend her time chatting with the villagers, and kept trying to get Akros to do the same. He always refused, spending his time perfecting ki abilities. Only after the first week did he visit the village, but the only reason he did is because he used instant transmission to warp to Beta. After all, her ki signature was the most familiar. 

It was awkward for him to be introduced to the human villagers, as most of them were terrified by his appearance. The goblins there that lived among the humans were more compatible, acknowledging his strength from a glance. Ironically, Akros felt the opposite. In the grand scheme of things, he knew he was still quite weak. Until he reached high rank as a demon, he would be fodder for higher ranking demons and other entities that summoned him. Once he was high rank, he could explore worlds either by himself or revisit worlds that he once visited when he was weaker.

Akros felt that this world was a jackpot for weapons, and he had decent allies. As long as he was loyal to Momonga, the lich's forces would not be against him. So he planned to leave a beacon in this world before he left it, so he could return to take the weapons laying around in Nazarick. After all, the chances that other relics like Hellreaver existed there were high. Nightfall may not be his go to weapon, as Akros decided he preferred bladed weapons like axes and swords. Then again, he could reforge Nightfall into a war axe, perhaps with the aid of a maker or after obtaining a hellfire seed from the Abyss? That was another thing he needed to do.

If he promoted to shadow demon, would his hellfire convert into shadowflame? It was worth a try, if not hellfire was still good to have for smelting. Dark and fire attributes were compatible. Shadowflame, destruction flames, god slaying fire magic, and more laid ahead. Perhaps the Flame-Flame fruit was unnecessary, he thought. 

By the end of that week, there was an attack on the village by monsters, such as trolls and ogres. While Beta had been scolded by Momonga for not warning him sooner of the threat, Akros didn't bother helping much. The monsters were handled surprisingly well by the villagers, so he only helped from the sidelines. The occasional ki blast would distract the trolls, making them easier to fell. 

He was sure to not be noticed, as well as Beta who watched it all from the sky. They were to observe, not interfere unless absolutely necessary. Akros felt quite bored when he wasn't spending time with Beta, who made even regular encounters interesting. Her bright attitude paired with her never-ending energy made her the effective counter for him, who was often pessimistic and lazy with anything that wasn't training. 

One night after the monster attack, Beta and Akros went on a walk around the village perimeter. They held hands as a product of her persuasion, although he cringed about it.

"This is... ugh."

"Why are you so cranky all the time now?" Beta's face was serious. "Seriously, something's off about you now, Akros. Did something happen to you?"

"More accurately the lack of something happening. I desire souls, preferably those with strong emotions. However, Lord Ainz forbade me from killing or torturing any humans, so I remain stagnant in power. The feeling is suffocating," Akros seethed, telling the truth. He didn't like torture, but if he could reap higher quality souls from it he'd be more than willing. At this point he was tempted to return to the Abyss now, but he needed to wait for the royal army to attack Carne village, as they did in the canon. With 5,000 souls he'd be set for a little while, so he'd return then. 

Regardless of that plan, Akros raged inside. He swore to himself that if he was ever bound to such lowly servitude again, he'd kill himself to be sent back to the Abyss. Even if it'd damage him he would rather take that than risk getting killed permanently by angels or other demons. The only mediator of his anger was Beta, who felt it with every thrust. Fortunately she was durable, a human woman in her place would've long broke.

"Life isn't all about killing, you know. You gotta live a little, enjoy the other things," Beta said softly, playing with his fingers. "I know it sounds hypocritical coming from a lowly servant, but I still enjoy the little things, like sneaking up on lower life forms. You gotta find something that makes you happy."

"Happiness? HAH!" Akros barked a harsh laugh. "I have never felt it. I am a demon! There is only one goal in life: to survive. In order to survive, I must consume souls. The only thing I enjoy is slaughter."

"You don't enjoy... anything? Not even me?" Beta whimpered in disbelief. Their eyes met, and she felt a chill in her heart. In his eyes there was nothing but hunger, anger, contempt. No trace of love, compassion, or anything she had hoped. 

After she marked him as her mate, she had hoped to be the light to his darkness. But she was a mere candle before an sea of black. His soul was starting to lose what little human fragments it had left as he began more and more demonic in heart and mind. 

He was desperate to promote as soon as he could to high rank, to secure at least some respect from other demons. Until then, he was never safe, not even a little. He wouldn't be safe even as a demon lord. Such thoughts would drive him to madness, but he clung to hope. That he would one day become a demon king, and only then could he rest easy.

"You are... a means to an end. In the end it matters not, for I will not remain in this world much longer," He murmured, without an ounce of empathy. He gently pulled his hand away, leaving her to fall to her knees, crushed. She tried to call out to him, but her voice failed for the first time. She wept as he left eyesight, without looking back.

"Why... why... why did it have to be this way?" Sobbing, her voice turning frail. 

Through a magic viewing mirror, Momonga had seen the whole scene. He was at a loss of what to do. He wanted to make Beta happy, and wanted to keep Akros among his forces. However, the only method of keeping the demon in this world was via demon contract, and Akros would have to prompt it. Momonga accepted that he was a temporary addition to his forces, and could not force him to stay without his potential betrayal.

Akros stopped counting the days that passed. He had devoted all his time into his practice of ki, not sparing the backwater village a glance. Beta would try to talk to him, but he would simply look at her blankly. The last time she came was when she had reached the end of her patience for him, resulting in her screaming while he stood stoic.

"Where's the Akros that told me that he loved me?! Where is he?!" She shrieked, shaking his shoulders. He gave her no response, making her even more upset. "Say something! Anything! I... I just want to hear your voice again..."

"I lied to you, Beta. I never loved you. Perhaps, one day you may forgive me for what I must do..."

"What? You- wait, what do you mean, 'what you must do'?" Her anger was quickly replaced with anguish. Akros spoke sorrowfully, as if he truly regretted his actions. The tone took her aback, so she listened carefully.

Maybe I'm being too edgy. But this act will make Momonga, who's watching, more hesitant to act. I can't have him keep me here, so I have to act sorrowful about it.

He leaned in and whispered into her ear, so that whatever magical device the lich was using would hopefully not hear. "I don't actually want to treat you like this, dear. But I have to in order for Lord Ainz to let me go without issues. I can't stay in this world forever even if I wanted to."

"Oh, so that's what you meant by 'must do'. I see," She felt a little better, knowing that his sudden turn of face was an act. She understood what he was trying to do and whispered back: "So, you don't hate me or anything?"

"I didn't lie when I said I never loved you. But some part of my fragmented heart burns in your presence. You are dear to me, I'll give you that," Akros cursed his choice of words. He made it sound as if he went through some troubling event that broke his heart, when a demon should have no heart to begin with. Fortunately, it was a minute detail that the werewolf missed.

She was in a much better mood now, but didn't let it show. After hearing his confession, she continued to act heartbroken even when she didn't for the next few weeks. When Akros' prediction, the royal army's attack, came true she alerted him immediately, but not Momonga. She was secretly more loyal to the demon out of love than her master.

Akros however, was smart about his approach. He landed in front of the royal army before they got within a mile of Carne village. His entrance frightened the prince at first, but his confidence was only temporarily wavered. The soldiers, either on steed or foot were of reassurance to him. All of them were trained and armed, what was there to fear?

"What's this? A demon thinks he can take on 5,000 soldiers by himself? A useless death!" He laughed, leading to the laughter of several officers as well. Akros snorted in contempt, lashing his tail.

"Kill me? I'd like to see you try..." Akros scowled with malice. An aura of red ki flared around his body, getting the attention of the royal army and the prince. "You take my life, I fail to die."

He charged two balls of ki, one in each hand. He made stuck his arms straight out and bent his legs. Energy gathered into his hands, creating a vacuum-like effect with the ki particles in the air. The scene bewildered the human knights.

"M-magic caster! Attack!" The soldiers charged him at the prince's frantic orders, with resolve that made Akros even more disdainful. He scoffed at the guttural shouts and cries.

"The fires fade, now close your eyes..." Akros shut his eyes as the balls of ki turned crimson, humming with power. The earth around him began to tremble, rocks and pebbles beginning to float in the air. The humming grew higher and higher pitch the bigger the orbs became, eventually each reached the size of a watermelon. 

"For the king! For the prince!" Soldiers' rallying screams only continued to irritate Akros, causing him to charge his attack further than he planned. He crossed his arms in front of him, pointing towards the prince in a X. The orbs combined to form a larger, darker red orb of ki that blistered with energy. 

The orb of ki then shrank, condensing to become a black ball the size of a baseball. The earth splintered beneath Akros as the ki orb slowly lost stability with its growing might. His eyes opened suddenly, to find spears of the royal soldiers mere feet away now. The attack only actually took a few seconds to charge.

"Mortal Gleam!!!" The black orb exploded forward creating a flood of black and red energy. It washed over the royal army evaporating them before they could register any pain. The beam continued long past their ashes and destroyed the road for another mile. Akros shook as he held himself down, the attack's recoil pushing him back.

"...and sing my undead lullaby."

He collected the souls with haste before using instant transmission to return to Beta. She was no longer surprised to see him appear out of nowhere, after all she did to others often. She smiled at him sadly, knowing what was next.

"It is time for me to leave this realm. Beta, my dear, I shall return to this world once I am powerful enough to take you. Here," Akros spoke softly, truly sad to leave her. He handed her a gray gem, about the size of a marble. It was an item he had formed with his imagination before the royal army arrived. It remained in his system as a project until he gained the 5,000 souls, which were above average quality. Perhaps their fear of him in their last moments made their souls more valuable. 

The gem, named "Beacon", was fairly simple. It had a ki signature, and would allow him to warp through worlds. Not only was it a way of returning to Beta, but also a means of escape in a dire situation.

"This gem is a relic that'll allow me to warp through worlds. Have it somewhere safe, and do not let it be taken from you," Akros pressed the warm mineral into her open, shaking hands. She began to tear up.

"Please, be safe. I don't care how long it takes, but don't die for me. I'd rather wait a hundred years than know you died trying to claim me," Beta's tears were wiped away by a gentle claw. He held her face and kissed her. It was a slow, deep kiss that mended her heart. When they separated her tears had stopped falling.

"It won't be that long. Ten years at most," He wasn't exactly sure, but based on Roy from Custom Made Demon King, who took not even 5 years to reach high rank, ten years wasn't too little. He stopped resisting the world's slight expulsive force, and immediately a portal appeared behind him. "If you get into trouble, hide that gem on your body so I can return directly to you."

"Got it. I love you, Akros," There was hope in her voice, bound to be shattered if he said the wrong thing. He contemplated briefly, then spoke his chosen words.

"I don't know what love is, but you are dear to me. In time, perhaps you may teach me love. Farewell, Lupusregina Beta."

He walked through the black portal, and once his tail was in it vanished. Beta clutched the gem in her hand, then hid it in her bra. It was smooth so it didn't hurt to place it there, and nobody would look there if she was searched. Or so she hoped. She then messaged Momonga, telling him about Akros' deeds, making sure to clarify that the demon killed the royal soldiers without leaving any survivors or witnesses, besides her.

Akros returned to the upper level of the Abyss, in a location unfamiliar. He was next to a river of lava in a field of ash. He sat down, and looked at his status.

Name: Amin

Race: Demon

Bloodline: Succubus, Shadow Demon

Demon Name: ...Noval Akros

Form: Adult

Heirarchy: Top of low-rank

Attribute: Dark

Strength: 203

Speed: 201

Magic Energy: 13

Activity: 210

Loaded Materials: Saiyan DNA, Tail Plating

Skills: Ki Manipulation, Charm (Passive)

Charm?! Since when?! Is this like a passive I unlocked from having sex with a babe, or a skill from my succubus bloodline?

Race Ability 1: Soul Peer

You are reading story Imagination Incarnate at novel35.com

Race Ability 2: Demon Blood

Race Ability 3: Soul Devouring Addiction

Talent Ability 1: Unending Spite

Talent Ability 2: Zenkai Boost

Description: Your blood burns for battle. In melee combat, your physical stats will improve. Recovering from injury grants a boost to physical stats. In addition, sudden emotional damage or outbursts grant a temporary increase to stats.

Oh, I've become the anime protagonist now. Emotional damage? Like seeing a loved one die? So basically I can reach super saiyan as long as I get upset? Wow.

Number of Souls in Possession: 4,950

Evaluation: ...you have breached your limits. Who knows what's next?

Helpful. Now, I need to make some items. I need to start increasing my magic power so I can promote, but first for the sake of my own desire, this comes first. System, create Tremor-Tremor Fruit!

The system ate 550 souls and produced a light blue pear-like fruit. It fell into Akros' hands, as he thought to himself.

I already added the safety so that I can still swim, but man. 550 is a lot. I only have 4,400 left. I would make my conversion item next for high quality souls, but no. Magic power comes first. Now, let's eat.

He took a large bite into the fruit, clamping a hand over his mouth immediately. It tasted horrid, to the point where he wanted to puke, but he steeled his will and chewed. After swallowing, he retched. "Ugh..."

Blergh... status!

Loaded Materials: Saiyan DNA, Tail Plating, Tremor-Tremor Fruit

Skills: Ki Manipulation, Charm, Abyssal Tremor

No "fruit" at the end of the name? Perhaps the system named the power itself, not the fruit. Well, I should practice with it. Actually, it'll garner the attention of other demons, meaning an easy harvest. Wait, "Abyssal Tremor"? 

Akros came to realize that his dark attribute ended up affecting the devil fruit's powers. He tried to use his new power, and found that the little crack in the air produced by the fruit's power was black, not white like Whitebeard's. Besides that he found no other difference, so he shrugged it off.

Unbeknownst to him, the actual effect of his dark attribute caused magma to flow out of the cracks made. The small crack he made, which had no effect on the ground still produced a couple drops of hot magma. He had already stepped away and failed to notice; he often paced during his thoughts.

He found that he could also wrap the tremor power in a sphere around his body, including his tail. This way, rather than simply breaking things through the air he could destroying them directly. He had to release the sphere to create the black cracks in the air or ground. It was then he noticed the magma effect.

OOOOOOHHH. That's the new effect. Abyssal Tremor lives up to its name. It doesn't seem like I need to practice it like my ki. It's somewhat easy to use.

With that, Akros moved on to his next line of business: increasing his magic power. He remembered how Roy did it, and did something similar. He imagined a vial of clear liquid, then asked the system to add the description: "Increases consumer's magic power" and limited it to consuming one soul to make.

Then me took one soul from his inventory and ate it. His eyes widened at the flavor and texture. The soul seemed to melt in his mouth, becoming creamy and sweet. No wonder it's addictive, he thought. He checked his status to see the increase to his magic power, and felt depressed.

Magic Power: 13.4

Fuck. I really do need to use Roy's method, I'll take forever doing this.

He then created the vial from before, promptly drinking it. It had no flavor, so it was like water. That he enjoyed, as water was impossible to find in the Abyss. He had savored the amount he drank in the world of Overlord, but he wasn't allowed to drink away.

Magic Power: 15.4

Now there's something good! Although, I don't remember it being so effective. Maybe the quality of the soul has something to do with it? These souls are quite good, being terror-induced. I should try to get more of these in other worlds. I don't mind scaring my opponents, after all.

He floated over the lava river so nearby demons and monsters wouldn't bother him. Those who could fly simply turned tail, thinking he had promoted and unlocked magic due to his hovering. He laughed every instance this happened. 

He spent a long period of time guzzling down vials of raw magic power, not wasting a drop. He ended up drinking 398 more souls, bringing him down to 4,000 souls left. However, rather than feeling sorrow at his lost souls, he felt accomplished after seeing the magic power increase.

Magic Power: 811.4

Hold on. Why haven't I reached the bottleneck yet? I should've reached it awhile ago, my magic stat is getting crazy high now. The potions aren't losing effectiveness yet... guess I need to keep drinking.

An eternity and another 1,000 souls later, Akros noticed a throbbing pain in his heart after drinking the last vial. It was like some food went down the wrong way, his heart was off beat and his breathing was labored. This agony lasted another few minutes before calming down.

This must be my limit, right? Unless I'm increasing it too suddenly... let's see my stat.

Magic Power: 960

Oh wow. I'd say I wasted a lot of souls due to the drop of effectiveness, but this is good. 3,000 and I'm ready to promote. I feel as if things are moving too fast... no, who am I kidding. This is how it should be. All that time waiting for that harvest of souls was worth it, I need to practice my patience. Besides, I also have a hot-ass werewolf babe waiting for me. The faster I evolve the better. 

He then made a long journey to find a demon hot spring, or a place where low-rank demons promoted. He traveled down the lava river, as it would lead him deeper into the Abyss. The travel was not quick. He flew for miles and miles, having the stop for food every now and then didn't help either. Flying at his highest speed, he spent weeks along the lava river until finally coming across a geographical change.

A massive fissure in the ground made the end of the lava river, changing into a lava waterfall as it cascaded downward. Akros carefully descended into the fissure, remembering that this was the way into the middle Abyss. He also remembered that this area had stronger gravity than the upper Abyss, so he was very cautious. He resented the idea of falling into the lava.

The pit seemed infinite, going further down than Akros could make out. All he could render was a fiery red light dot, somewhere deeper. So he descended, which was easy with the usage of ki. Essentially he had to hover will less power, so he fell at a controlled pace. It took an unknown amount of time, possibly days of descent to reach the end of the vertical tunnel as it opened into a much larger space. A vast, dark cave realm where there was next to no natural light. 

Demons' eyes develop down here, it would seem. No wonder. "Darkvision" is a fitting name given this blackness. 

Akros gradually had to exhaust more energy using ki to stay in the air. He figured the gravity must be higher here, and the best way to adapt is by walking in it first. As he descended to the ground, he pondered.

So this is the middle Abyss. I wonder, the way gravity works is quite interesting here. It's likely due to some magical bullshit. Oh, that's hot.

His clawed feet made contact with the ground, producing a clack. He had humanoid feet, but with only three toes. Each one was clawed, and they were all the same size unlike human feet. It was like having three big toes. The ground here was much hotter than the upper Abyss, he found. It burned his feet, but he endured the pain. He couldn't fly forever, and the faster the adapted to this realm the better.

On the topic of adaptation, he knew it wouldn't be that quick. The increased gravity made it more difficult to walk, so he lumbered slowly. It was as if his body mass quadrupled. Akros knew that it was good for his muscles, so he figured he would spend his time getting used to this level of the Abyss before accepting another summon. That was, if middle-rank demons were even summoned the same way low-rank demons were. 

He figured it couldn't be too different, only the summoner would be stronger in power. He was quite likely to be summoned by a high-rank demon preparing for war, but as long as the conditions weren't too harsh he would accept. After all, he could potentially fight back if he needed to. Without his ki or Abyssal Tremor he was very strong physically, and would have the advantage in close combat against a demon that mainly used magic. The only flaw in that logic was getting close in the first place, as it would prove difficult against an experienced demon mage.

As time passed, Akros didn't travel in any specific direction. He stretched, practiced some moves with Nightfall, used ki, and ran every so often to get fully used to the gravity. After a couple hours, he checked his status again, and found that his stats increased due to his activity.

Strength: 205

Speed: 210

Activity: 215

I haven't been here long at all. So why am I growing so fast...? Could it be my saiyan blood? That's right, this is similar to how Vegeta trained in the high gravity chamber. That doesn't make a whole ton of sense, though. Maybe being a demon with saiyan DNA gave me better adaptability, which is insane to think about. Demons and saiyans by themselves are incredibly able to overcome their limits and change in response to damage, but when you mix the two... it seems my choice of becoming part saiyan was the correct one.

As time passed, Akros' sight improved. He didn't dare fly or make any kind of drama with his powers, as he didn't wish to fight middle-rank demons yet, or at all. He had had enough of slaying his kin in the upper Abyss because it was necessary. Middle-rank demons and above were much more rare, and he deemed it a waste of valuable forces. If too many strong demons fell, the heavens would gain an advantage. 

He wasn't afraid of middle-rank demons, but was wary of them anyway. He was very well equipped for his rank, and should have little issue killing one in terms of firepower. The issue was that he hadn't encountered any middle-ranked demons before and had no idea of how they fought. His main objection now was to find a place of refinement, to evolve.

Akros didn't know what those places looked like, nor where he could find one. He could only hope that he'd either find one by dumb luck or ask another demon. Perhaps higher ranking demons had better manners, he thought.

It wasn't long before he saw demons fighting in the distance. He put away Nightfall, and got close enough to fully view their battle without being noticed. As he did, he took note of the use of fire magic. Hellfire, he assumed, was quite common among demons who used magic. Either breathing it through their mouths or covering their claws with it, hellfire was used only offensively. Akros was curious as to how demons acquired hellfire, then he remembered something important.

Demons who didn't inherit hellfire through their bloodlines could obtain it by consuming a hellfire seed, which were found nearby volcanoes in the middle Abyss. Akros saw plenty of volcanoes in the distance, and made a mental note to visit one after promoting.

During his thoughts, he began to walk, so the victor between the previously clashing demons saw him and rushed toward him. Akros snapped out of his thoughts, holding his claws in a similar way a boxer did. Only, he didn't clench his fists but outstretched his fingers, his talons ready to rend flesh anytime. 

The demon was quite large, a muscular brute with two tails and an exoskeleton that gleamed in the shallow light. He had two horns that reminded Akros of a rhinoceros beetle. His carapace seemed to emit hellfire mainly on his arms. The demon abruptly halted a dozen feet away, making Akros narrow his eyes.

The larger beetle-like demon sniffed the air, then sighed. He made what Akros thought was a disappointed face, then spoke in a rumbling voice. 

"You must not know the way..." One tail pointed to his left. "Place to refine that way."

After speaking, the demon turned tails and left Akros alone, stunned.

Uh, what? Shouldn't he have seen me as easy prey? Are middle-rank demons actually that nice? Or is there some unspoken rule that they can't kill low-rank demons? Perhaps it makes them look bad or something. Still, this isn't normal. I suppose that demon was a chill guy.

Akros went in the direction he was told, he came across other middle-rank demons who reaffirmed that he was going in the right direction, afterwards leaving him be. The events made him realize that it was due to sympathy that middle-rank demons were merciful to low-rank demons in the middle Abyss. He did see in the distance, a low-rank demon seeming to speak with a middle-rank demon. He could tell based on their size and stature. One was an arachne like being, half spider half woman. She radiated a primal power, while the other demon being a impish like humanoid was obviously weaker. 

Akros witnessed the low-rank demon try to woo the arachne, even going as far to grab her chest moments before his head rolled. He made note to be careful about flirting with demons, even if that low-rank demon was being very bold it was still something to remember. 

The arachne stared at him in the distance as he went past her, but not for too long. She shrugged, her bust bouncing as she did and crawled in the opposite direction.

It wasn't long after that event that Akros saw a structure in the distance, causing his heart to pound with excitement. He tossed away any care and ran towards it, finding that it was a massive, demon styled building easily comparable to a football stadium. There was a great black wall surrounding the structure with six entrances, each one a stone demon mouth. Other areas of the wall were engraved with runes that glinted with light. They were not much different than the runes of a summoning altar, he discovered. 

The runes would burst with a black flash of light when a middle-rank demon tried to get close, rejecting them without killing them. Several middle-rank demons loitered outside the wall, which make Akros think.

Waiting for easy prey, huh? Like gang violence. That barrier is quite nice. Only problem is getting in. 

The protected center was empty save for a pool or purplish red liquid, seemingly boiling. He could see low-rank demons bathing in it, so he figured:

That's it! The refinement pool! 

Low-ranks demons were rushing into the demon hot spring, while the middle-rank demons didn't stop them. Rather it seemed that they wanted to go back into the pool, as their faces were longing.

As Akros approached the refinement pool, he witnessed other low-rank demons promote. Their bodies would change greatly. Horns would grow and change shape, some straight horns became curled ram horns. Others were the reverse. Some bodies condensed and others enlarged. Some demons grew more eyes, limbs, or other vast changes on their bodies that made them distinct. 

One scene was unfortgettable: a demon whose face became beautiful, chest swelled, tail and wings sprouting from their back. A succubus! Akros was taken aback momentarily, then remembered his own bloodline. He wasn't even tempted though.

Akros knew that this pool would stimulate the latent bloodlines within a demon, so he should become either a shadow demon or succubus. With the system's help, he hoped he could choose.

He strode into the area of refinement, under the surprised gazes of middle-rank demons. What he didn't know, was that his tail spoke volumes! His plated, bladed tail was usually something seen in aquatic or armored demons, which were rare. Even if it was only his tail, it stood out like a pearl among stones.

He did remember an important piece of information from the novel (CMDK) his life was similar to. The names fire demon, shadow demon, and succubus were simple names that only scratched the surface of the many species. The names were based on the power that the demon wielded, not their actual type. Not all succubi looked humanoid, and not all flame demons had flames covering their whole bodies.

Succubi were catagorized for their charming techniques, and flame demons for their flame magic. Physical appearance more or less was irrelevant. That said, the shadow demon that was probably his father that Akros saw as a newborn just happened to be an aquatic demon. Not all shadow demons had fins or tails. 

He did remember that there were four general types of demons that higher ranking, more intelligent demons used to specify other demons. War demons, elemental demons, trickery demons, and chaos demons.

War demons were the typical large, hulking masses of muscle and bone that didn't rely on magic. These demons would use magic to summon other demons or to enhance themselves or their weapons, which they often used. Their magic power primarily served as a means to strengthen their blows. 

Elemental demons were mages that specialized in elemental magic, as the name suggests. A majority of them use fire-type magic thanks to the Abyss' environment. Other elements included dark, ice, lightning, and so forth. Their magic was more similar to dragon magic than human magic due to it being chanted in the demon language, so it was called demonic magic and dragon's magic was called draconic magic. Elemental demons fall short to war demons in physical strength, but far surpassed them in magical power.

Trickery demons were those who specialized in magic that affected the mind and used cunning techniques, but were weaker in terms of melee and ballistic magic. Succubi would fall into this category. Not to say that trickery demons couldn't hold their own, but against a war demon or an elemental demon that their magic failed upon, it would be a crushing defeat.

Chaotic demons are also as the name implied. Those who were jacks of all trades, not specializing in any one of the other three categories fell here. A demon who was a decent brawler, could cast offensive ranged magic, and could trick the mind would be exactly what this category entails. Roy from CMDK was an example of a chaotic demon. 

Akros himself wished to become a chaos demon. Only, he viewed mind control and other mind affecting magic as cowardly. He wouldn't be learning any trickery magic anytime soon. 

The four categories covered nearly all demons that existed, without distinguishing between species. It could be said to be the standard method of differentiating demons.

The main difference between high and middle-rank demons was power. Any middle-rank demon could promote to high-rank if they could survive and accumulate enough magic power. However, the purity of the bloodline that was refined would dictate the probability and the difficulty of promoting. 

Akros stepped into the pool after his pushing his memories aside. He noticed how the other low-rank demons weren't interfering, and thought that they simply had enough etiquette to be friendly in this place. However, he was dead wrong. Once he entered the pool, an intense fear crept into his body. 

His fear stemmed from the liquid. It was viscous like blood, and its appearance which was similar to demon blood did not help his anxiety. It contained very powerful energy, which put fear into any demon that bathed in it. That was the real reason why the other demons were still. 

The boundless force from the liquid seeped into his body, sending his heart beating wildly. The magic energy stored within it was being rapidly consumed. Only then did Akros realize why low-rank demons needed to increase their magic power via consuming souls. When it was drained like this, they would die if the amount within was insufficient. 

As he became more and more anxious, a prompt panel from the system appeared.

"An external forces attempting to change the host's genes has been detected. It is possible to evolve via this force, but there also a chance of failure. Rate of success is at over 99%. Evolve Yes/No"

Oh, you had me scared for nothing. I hope it'll let me choose which bloodline I evolve. Actually, hey system, if I say yes, am I given the choice of bloodline? I've never actually asked the system anything before...

"Yes! You will be granted the choice of which bloodline you evolve into," A bright, female voice sounded in his head. His qualms were soothed by this voice and its words.

Yes. Evolve.

A new panel popped up.

"Extra genes have been detected within your blood. Additional bloodlines are possible, but with higher failures rates. Lowest is at 90%."

Whew. Let me see them please, system.

He felt odd saying please as a demon, but he was incredibly grateful to his system. He felt the respect was more than deserved.

"Choose from the following: Shadow Demon/Succubus/Dark Saiyan"

System, be awesome and tell me which one is nearest to my current appearance. I like this form.

"Shadow Demon would be the optimal choice for that desire. However, Dark Saiyan is not much different either. You would lose your tail and your feet would change shape, but besides that your appearance would not change much."

I appreciate you telling me. Otherwise I may have blindly picking that one, but I love my tail. Evolve me into a Shadow Demon, mommy system.

"...I'm not your mother."

Akros felt the energy from the liquid surge, and his body began to grow a special magic circuit. His demon heart, which previous held his magic power, now pumped magic energy in the form of liquid through his body like blood. It was another system of veins and arteries. He felt odd at first, but didn't mind it.

Then as he got comfortable, a blistering pain arose. His body contorted as it changed appearance. His skin, once ash gray became black as obsidian, matching his hair color. His horns were now shining amethyst crystals, almost transparent. His tail plates and blade matched his horns, as well as growing larger. His horns were a |_| shape, going straight in one direction then back. Each had a branch at the corner that pointed up. 

His tail lengthened to 15 feet, and the purple crystallic armor now covered the top and bottom of his tail, acting as an exoskeleton for the limb. His entire body grew slightly, as he reached a new height of about 8 feet. The muscles and bones grew denser and bigger, his frame changing from lean to sturdy. 

His claws on his fingers and feet became purple and gem-like as well, mystifying him. The soft light of the middle Abyss made it glint slightly. What he couldn't see was that his eyes changed as well. His iris was fully purple, his sclera still black, and his pupil was white. If he could see his eyes he would be dazzled by their charm, which was exactly it. Charm, as he would later figure out, was a passive that activated during two types of events. One was evolution via promoting as a demon, giving him more luster and beauty as he changed physically. The other was his charisma. He would naturally lure in females of any and all races by saying or doing things that caught their attention without the intention of doing so. Basically, it doomed him to get bitches.

His back flared in pain abruptly, so quickly he couldn't even roar in agony. It was over as soon as it came. Two limbs expanded from his shoulder blades, and when he turned to look he saw that they were blade-like wings! They looked like his tail blade, made of shining purple gem. But in reality, it was still his body. When he tapped his right wing, he felt it in both his finger and wing. 

His wings had three main segments, a saddle joint connecting each as he found when he moved them around. There was black tissue in the joints, so it was clearly visible where each segment of wing ended and begun. His right wing bent in a traditional /\/ shape, his left wing the mirror opposite. Each segment was longer than the last, and his wingspan was about 16 feet.

His mouth experienced no major changes besides his teeth also becoming that purple crystal material. They felt stronger when he clacked them together, even his tongue was smoother and looked more sensual. He didn't know how to feel about his body's natural charm. He now had some experience wooing women, but he got lucky with the aforementioned two so he didn't count them as actual experience. If a succubus tried to charm him, he'd be easy prey.

I'm... pretty? This is so exciting though. This power I feel, it's amazing! I- oh, whoops. Mommy, show me my status.

Akros chuckled mentally when the panel appeared in front of him. The system acknowledged the name, as a sentient being it knew he was referring to her but was reluctant to let herself be addressed in such a teasing manner. It harrumphed to itself.

Name: Amin

Race: Demon

Bloodline: Shadow Demon

Demon Name: ...Noval Akros

Form: Adult

Heirarchy: Intermediate Middle-rank

What?! I know I was strong going in, but golly! 

Attribute: Dark

Strength: 254

Speed: 448

Magic Energy: 960

Activity: 295

I... wow. My strength is the lowest, interesting. I can fix that, but right now I'm still far stronger than any newly promoted middle-rank demon should be. 

Loaded Materials: Saiyan Blood, Tail Plating, Tremor-Tremor

Skills: Ki Manipulation, Charm (Passive), Abyssal Tremor

Race Ability 1: Soul Peer

Race Ability 2: Demon Blood

Race Ability 3: Soul Devouring Addiction

Talent Ability 1: Undying Spite

Talent Ability 2: Zenkai Boost

Talent Ability 3: Ultraspeed Regeneration

Description: During the fusion, your white saiyan cells combined with white demon cells to create enhanced white cells. You can regrow any part of your body in seconds as long as your heart beats. In addition, you still gain the stat growths from Zenkai Boost and Unending Spite upon healing. Regeneration speed will decrease with fatigue.

Talent Ability 4: Sex Magnet

Description: Your body was altered during your fusion due to the skill Charm. You possess charisma and attract the opposite sex with ease. In addition, you have near limitless stamina when aroused.

Oh, for fuck's sake! I never thought I'd say this, but I don't want to live a life of lust! I have better things to do! I chose this bloodline instead of succubus for a reason, damn it. This could be good though. If I encounter a powerful succubus I can maybe manipulate her... wait. Isn't this a mind affecting spell kinda thing? Does this make me a chaos demon, mommy?

"Yes, my poor boy..." Her voice sounded genuinely tired. "You know, I may exist to serve you but please refrain from that humiliating alias. I resent it."

Aw. You sound like a nice, young momma though. I have a thing for nice young mommas. 

"Do I look like a 'nice young momma' to you?!"

Yeesh. Alright, what can I call you instead? Do you want me to name you?

"...I would appreciate that."

Okay. 'Lyra' work for you?

"Is there any... hidden meaning behind it?"

No. It's the name I had in the back of my head if I ever had a daughter, back when I was human. It's a cute name, I think. 

"I see. It's a special name. I will take it with thanks." Lyra cooed, giggling. Her laughter brought joy to his mind, it was intoxicating in a sense that Akros wanted to keep hearing it.

Before I get out of the liquid, Lyra if you could change my boxers to my new skin color and size, that'd be wonderful.

"Mhm," She hummed, before Akros was suddenly naked in the water. His boxers reappeared on his lower body within seconds. He sighed in relief, not liking the feeling of skinny dipping. Once he got out of the refinement pool, he did notice how his shadow seemed... welcoming. He blinked once, then twice.

Lyra, can I become shadow? Can I really change my physical state of being with shadow magic?

"Yes. Shadow magic is a unique type of dark magic," She explained. "It's effectiveness is dependent on the wielder's creativity, rather than raw magic power. You can use dive in it for movement or for cover, but know that other shadow magic wielders can harm you in this state. You can create physical shapes and contort them, really there's so many possibilities that I cannot list them all. The most important thing for you to remember is that shadow magic is strongest during the day."

During the day? Wouldn't sunlight reduce its power?

"No. Shadow magic requires a base shadow, which require some form of light. During the daytime shadows are everywhere, so it's easier to find a base for your magic. At nighttime, the natural darkness is not shadow, but the absence of light. You cannot use shadow magic with natural darkness."

...good to know. Thank you, Lyra. I don't know what I'd do without you.

"You'd be dead, I presume."

You're right. That's exactly why I'm grateful. 

"Just leave the refinement area already!"

Hmph. Tsundere.

"What is a... 'tsundere'?" Lyra looked into his memories, then growled at him in his head. "I am not a tsundere!"

Fine, fine.

Akros finally left the refinement area, stretching his wings as he did. Deeming them incapable of flight, he decided they'd serve as a means of walking up cliffs and decimating whatever dared hit him from behind. His wings had no membrane or feathers, nothing to catch the wind to keep him aloft. They were more similar to spider legs. 

As he passed the middle-rank demons outside, they cowered from him upon sight. Even those without sight felt his magic power surging. Darkness surrounded his body, enveloping him. Then he sunk into the ground and disappeared!

The other demons were left jaws hanging.

Akros felt odd in his shadow. It was darker than the middle Abyss outside, but he could see even more clearly. His body felt like it was underwater without the need to breathe. That's when Akros realized that he no longer needed oxygen! He held his breath for a long time, never seeming to suffocate.

Swimming around, he could still hear the outside world. It sounded like it was above him, but still rang clear. A conflict between demons that he swam directly under sounded like he was right there with them. 

Akros also realized that he swam even better than before. His body glided through the darkness as if it was made to do so, naturally graceful even when he wasn't paying attention. He found the shadow realm quite relaxing, and didn't feel the need to leave it. It cost him a little magic energy to enter, but to stay inside didn't cost anything. 

He swam until he heard the rumbling of an active volcano, then he burst out of the shadows. He sent himself flying into a boulder face first due to him forgetting how fast he was moving in the shadow realm. After unsteadily getting to his feet, he made sure there was no other demons nearby before searching for hellfire seeds. He had no idea what they looked like, so he picked up anything small on the ground that he found.

He would insert every pebble he came across into his inventory, and only when he made his way to the mouth of the volcano did he find what he was looking for. 

Hellfire Seed

Description: The consumer will gain the capability to use demonic fire magic, as long as they are compatible. If not, the seed will kill you.

Good thing I was careful before eating it. Dying to my own hunger for power would be a ridiculous way to go. Lyra, is my body compatible?

"Yes and no. Your body will adapt just fine, but your other powers and dark attribute will affect the end result. It may cost souls upon consumption to stabilize these new powers," She warned, then added: "For example, your dark attribute is likely change hellfire into shadowflame or dark flame or something similar. Your ki abilities, which most are similar to fire magic besides barriers and flight, may be discarded or fused. Eat it at not your own risk, but your abilities'."

Ki and hellfire conflict? I guess that makes sense. I suppose one defeats the purpose of the other, besides flight and barriers. But eh, my ki power barely increased even after promoting. My magic power is a different story. Perhaps a demon wielding ki was never meant to be... here goes.

Akros popped the seed in his mouth, chewed, and swallowed. Then a fiery pain seared his body, starting at his stomach then reaching his heart.

"Your ki and hellfire abilities aren't compabitle! They're fusing...!" Was all he could make out. He was in such pain that he didn't register Lyra's words. His body was aflame for what felt like hours, but was only a minute in reality. Once the pain settled down, Akros felt an new feeling in his body, being pumped by his demon heart. 

Status, please. 

Name: Amin

Race: Demon

Bloodline: Shadow Demon

Demon Name: ...Noval Akros

Form: Adult

Attribute: Dark

Strength: 260

Speed: 452

Magic Energy: 1,231

Activity: 301

Souls in Possession: 2,803

Loaded Materials: Saiyan Blood, Tail Plating, Tremor-Tremor

Skills: Dark Ascension, Dark Barrier, Charm (Passive), Abyssal Tremor

Magic: Shadow, Shadowflame

Race Ability 1: Soul Peer

Race Ability 2: Demon Blood

Race Ability 3: Soul Devouring Addiction

Talent Ability 1: Undying Spite

Talent Ability 2: Zenkai Boost

Talent Ability 3: Ultraspeed Regeneration

Talent Ability 4: Sex Magnet

...good grief. I must've actually gone through some damage at the fusion. It seems healing from it granting me a stat boost. If I had to guess, it cost some souls to stabilize my body?

"Yes. With the price of 197 souls, I was able to correct your body's reaction to the seed. Without those souls you would likely be ash."

Yikes. I owe you one, no I owe you a lot, Lyra. I'll find a way to thank you. 

"If you insist..." Lyra was at a loss temporarily. Her lack of emotional knowledge shone here. She was knowledgeable about most things in order to aid her host, but she could not comprehend his desire to give back.

 I didn't realize til now how much my speed has increased. Without ki I can't perform flash step, but I likely have no use for it now given my natural speed.

Akros crouched low, then sprang off of the volcano's side. He soared for over a mile in the air, flying at a speed he thought impossible before the gravity pulled him down. After he landed, he ran as fast as he could, moving at speeds invisible to even the trained human eye. He took a break to catch his breath, and grinned maliciously. He saw a group of monsters, bull-like creatures with long straight horns pointing out from their skulls. The main thing he noticed was the muscle on their limbs. He could deal with lean meat.

Oh boy, here I go killing again!

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