Chapter 692: The Flames of Hell Rekindle Again.
A Flaming Inferno. That was the first thing I witnessed when I woke up.
‘Who am I?’ I questioned myself as I got up.
‘How did I get here?’ I looked around.
‘What is my name?’
I do not remember.
All I knew was… I needed to survive.
“Survive…” I started walking through this place, a hostile place that was full of dangerous monsters.
Flaming monsters, as if born from the flames that raged in this place.
I must survive.
‘Survive for what?’
I didn’t know, but I needed to survive; that was my instinct.
Therefore, to survive, I must fight.
“Fight.” A growl came from my mouth, and I jumped toward the monsters, killing them with my bare hands.
I must fight.
‘Fight for what?’
For my life.
‘Wrong, fighting for my life is not enough.’
For someone?
‘There is no one. I am alone.’
For a purpose?
‘Goal?’
Power.
‘For Power….’
‘Yes, I will fight for Power.’
I don’t know how much time had passed, but before I knew it, I was feared in this place. The creatures left me alone and didn’t try to fight me either… Everything became so… meaningless.
“Should I look elsewhere?”
I still don’t know who I am [not that it matters right now], and to my immense frustration, I don’t feel my Power increasing, and my body hasn’t grown.
I look at my hands and wonder:
‘Why am I so small?’
“Hmm?” I looked up and saw a man standing before me.
When did he get here? Was he here before?
The man was tall, wearing some kind of black armor with a black cape on the back made of some sort of strange Miasma. His hair was floating around him and was covered in the same peculiar Miasma as the cape, and his eyes were quite different from the color I was used to in this place, a striking shade of violet.
… Wait… Cloak? Armor? Miasma? Violet? Huh? How do I know what these things are?
How do I have knowledge I never learned before?
‘Knowledge returns to you instinctively.’
Instinct?
‘Instinct.’
Instinct…
My eyes narrowed:
“Who are you?”
Knowledge has not come, is something wrong?
Confused.
“Interesting… I didn’t believe it when Lily told me, but it’s true…”
Lily? Who is Lily?
“The Flames of War burn in your heart, Boy.”
Flames of War? Huh? What is he talking about?
“I am not a boy.”
“Your stature says otherwise.”
“I can be small and be an adult.”
“That is questionable. Tell me, Boy, what is an adult to you?”
“… Someone tall?” I replied uncertainly.
The man displayed a smile of amusement:
“Until you understand this question, you will never be a real adult.”
“What is an adult to you then?” A growl of annoyance escaped my mouth, and flames began to cover my body.
When I did that, the creatures in this place would usually run away in fear, but this man just watched me with even more amusement.
Irritating. Is he not intimidated?
“Someone who walks their own path, I guess.”
“… You guess? … You’re not sure?”
“It’s a deep question, Boy. I can give you a million answers, and those million answers will be right or wrong depending on your point of view.”
“…That sounds complicated…”
Why does one question have so many answers? Irritating. Don’t you just need to have one?
“Yes, it’s complicated. Just like all important questions.”
My fire dimmed, as it always did when I became calm.
“Tell me, Boy.”
“Hmm?”
“What do you desire?”
I narrowed my eyes, I was going to blurt out some lie, but for some reason, I felt compelled to tell the truth. Those eyes wouldn’t allow me to lie.
“I want Power.”
“Oh? Why do you want Power?”
“Do I need a reason?”
My answer made the man’s smile grow, and soon I heard his voice again.
“Power is a word that encompasses many things, Boy.”
“Power comes in many different forms; political power, physical power, the power of influence, the power of self-improvement, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg.”
“… Ugh, this is tricky.”
Why can’t things be more straightforward? I didn’t understand much of what he said, even though it seemed important.
“All important questions are, Boy.”
“What you need now is not the Power you crave, but knowledge.”
“Knowledge?… Knowledge is useless.” I snorted.
“Knowledge is a form of power too, Boy.”
“… What do you mean?”
“Why are you here?”
“What is this place?”
“Who am I?”
“What are these creatures?”
“All these questions are answered through knowledge.”
“Do you understand now how important knowledge is?”
“…Yes.”
“Through knowledge and self-discovery, you will acquire part of the Power you seem to be desperately searching for.”
“And through training and discipline, you will acquire the others. It is all a natural process.”
The man made a strange noise with his mouth, and from the surrounding flames, an entirely different creature appeared.
“He’s beautiful, isn’t he?” The man spoke as he petted the red creature covered in fire.
“…Yes…” I replied unconsciously as I didn’t take my eyes off the creature.
“From today, he is your companion until the day you cease to exist.”
“Huh…?”
“Take care of him, and he will take care of you.”
The creature got close to me, and for some reason, I didn’t feel threatened. Unconsciously, I let the creature get close to me, and it was at that moment the beast lowered its head and rubbed my face with it.
…I felt something warm and light in my chest for the first time.
What was it?
I didn’t know what it was, but it wasn’t a bad feeling.
“Take it.”
I shivered when I heard the voice next to me. I looked to the side and saw the man standing there holding something.
“What is that?”
“A bag.”
“What is a bag?”
“An item that is used to store other items.”
“Oh… I assume there are other items inside the bag?”
“Yeah.”
“What’s in it?”
“Books and other things you’ll need.”
“Books…?”
“A source of knowledge that is acquired by reading.”
“How will I know how to ‘read’? I don’t even know what that is.”
The man showed a slight smile again:
“You will know.”
The man tossed the ‘bag’ to me, and I took it somewhat awkwardly.
He turned and started walking away, as I heard his voice again:
“Look for conflict, look for War. All your answers will come naturally on your journey, Boy.”
“W-Wait! Who are you?”
He stopped walking and turned to me with the same smile on his face:
“You can call me Alucard.”
‘Alucard…’
“I’ll be waiting for you, Boy.” The man turned around again.
“Waiting for me? Where?”
“In the Deepest Pit of Hell, The Royal Capital, Abaddon.”
“Meet me there, Boy, and I’ll answer the questions you want answered most, answers you won’t find in a textbook.”
Those were the last words I heard before waking up in a completely different place.
“…Huh… What was that?”
I heard the noise of a creature, and I looked to the side, and there was the same creature that that strange man had given me.
The creature looked deeply into my eyes, and I could feel the creature’s ‘intentions’.
“My hands?” I looked down and saw the ‘bag’ the man had given me.
Out of curiosity, I started to poke at the bag, and I saw something opening, and soon an ‘endless dark space’ appeared.
“Hmm…This is definitely not safe.”
I felt the creature poking me, and I looked at him again. When our eyes met, I felt his intent again.
“… Are you sure?”
The creature made a noise and nodded in agreement.
“Well…” I shrugged at the creature’s response and put my hand in that hole, and soon information appeared in my head containing all the items in the bag. Then, out of curiosity, I pulled out an item.
“Book 1. Common Knowledge of Hell for Young Devils, Written by VD”
“… How can I understand this?”
‘You will know,’ I remember the man’s words again.
Did he plan all this? Why?
Despite being full of questions, I opened the ‘book’ and saw strange letters.
‘Letters? What is that?’ I was confused by that word that I had just suddenly learned.
Letters: Characters representing one or more of the sounds used in speech.
“Huh… Okay, something popped into my head, just like in the past… Actually, it’s been going on since I met that man. He must have done something to me.”
Looking at these ‘letters’, I unconsciously read aloud:
“For those who find this book, you are in Hell. This is where Demons come to exist, a place that, even with my intervention, is still hostile and dangerous, a place that from this day forward is your home.”
Demon? Is this what I am?
“First Rule of Hell, follow your instincts.”
“Instincts are something intrinsic in all Supernatural Beings, but for Demons, instincts are even more essential. They are the core of a Demon’s existence and will give you strength.”
“Second Rule of Hell, Survive.”
“No matter the method, just survive; by surviving in these hostile lands of Hell, you will earn your right to live here.”
“Third and Final Rule of Hell, look for one of the three main Cities of Hell.”
“Alexandria, The City of Beginnings, located in The First Layers of Hell, a place for those who are not very resistant to Miasma, a place for Demons to grow, and the place where future visitors of Hell will arrive.”
“Alcántara, The Great Economic Center of Hell. Located in The Middle Layers of Hell, Alcántara is a city where thousands of Demons live and practice their business in The Economic Center of Hell.”
“Abaddon, The Royal Capital, where the King of Demons lives, a place for those who are very resistant to Miasma. All the Elites and the most important Demons of Hell live in this City. Abaddon is the land of opportunity, and just living in this City proves you are a strong Demon capable of standing in the King’s very presence. Only those worthy of being in the King’s presence are able to acquire a reward directly from him… The King does not tolerate mediocrity. He seeks only excellence, so do not go to Abaddon if you are not confident of your strength.”
‘Isn’t that interesting?’ I thought with a smile on my face as the flames started to grow around me, and my heart began beating in excitement.
“I expect to see you in Abaddon, Boy.” Hearing that man’s words in my head, I tucked the book inside my bag and climbed on top of the creature.
That gesture felt so natural to me, as did the following words:
“Let’s ride.”
The creature made an approving noise, then broke into a run; I didn’t know where I was going and didn’t care. I would just trust my new friend’s judgment.
It felt like the right thing to do…
…
Watching the boy on horseback from a distance, Victor couldn’t help but wear a satisfied smile.
“Is that prudent, My King?” Lily questioned.
“That boy is—.”
“War, or a small part of what was once my old enemy.”
“… How is that possible, My King? Didn’t you kill him?”
“Yes, I did. But unlike his brothers, I only consumed a portion of his Soul. If I’d consumed all of it, his body would’ve been erased.”
“But, out of the respect he earned from me, I’d left the core of his Soul intact so he could have a proper burial where he was born.”
“… Even with just the Soul Core, he’s a Demon God, and he would eventually reincarnate,” Lily muttered. She knew very well that Gods couldn’t die so long as you didn’t harm their Souls. That was the same for the Demons. As long as Hell existed, the Souls of Demons would return to Hell, allowing them to be born reborn, with a new form and memories, but still with the same Soul.
‘Even though he doesn’t have a complete Divinity like my mother, the Fragment of Divinity still exists in his Soul, and the stronger he becomes, the more that Fragment will grow… Much stronger than it is right now. After all, he was born as a Demon God.
“Your Majesty is helping him to become your Knight?”
“If he wishes.”
“… Eh?”
“My main reason for helping him is the challenge he will provide me in the future.”
“…”
“He will grow, become strong, and with my guidance, he will become much stronger than before, and when the time is right, he will fight me again.” Victor couldn’t hide the smile of anticipation on his face.
Victor was doing the same thing that Scathach did to him, taking a disciple to make him stronger so that, in the future, he would have a decent fight.
Lily just sighed and shook her head. She wouldn’t question her King, but to her, this act seemed rather pointless.
‘Why not just let him be your Knight? He will be a good subordinate.’ Lily thought.
Almost as if he had read Lily’s mind, Victor spoke:
“Someone like War becomes stronger when free; even if he is not the War I knew, I will not sabotage his growth.”
“War fought like a true warrior and died like a true warrior. And, even though we were on opposite sides, I respect him as a true war brother.”
Lily opened her eyes a little in shock, and the next moment she just closed her eyes and smiled:
“I don’t understand, My King… But I can respect that attitude.” Lily was so used to seeing her King’s cunning, sadistic, and majestic side that she forgot that her King was also a warrior.
An honorable warrior.
“Send some shadow Demons to watch him from afar.”
“Should they interfere if he is in danger?”
“No. Even if he is about to die, you must not interfere. This is his journey and his alone.”
“He won’t be worthy of my training if he doesn’t survive Hell.”
Even if Victor had brought ‘Order’ to Hell, that only extended to the big cities where most of the Demon population lived. Outside of these Cities, in the sandy wastes of Hell where there were mindless Demonic Monsters that didn’t have a shred of sapience, that hostile place was lawless ground.
After all, this was still Hell, a place where only the strong thrived, a place where strength and cunning were needed to survive.
“Yes, My King.”
…..
Edited By: DaV0 2138, IsUnavailable
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