Monarch of Darkness, Arsene

Chapter 483: Cheating in Cultivation

We had been walking for about half an hour, and things were growing entirely out of hand. The divinity within the air was magical, drawing out the greed I had thought to have sealed within my heart.

It was finally happening. So this is what it feels like to be the evil villain in a story. To be handed such a gift. It looks like I need to find the main character and kill him.

'You're an idiot." Aegis, the quiet phantom, shamed.

'On the contrary, my passenger. I think it's highly likely some hero will try to kill me soon. If one thinks of life as a movie, they know all the mistakes to avoid.'

'Let's hope that child of yours will understand you are screwing them over then.' He muttered, giving me the understanding he was not present when Zariel appeared and explained our situation.

Chuckling darkly, I smiled within this prison, with the only light source being the torches that ran along the barren walls endlessly.

I do not know why Zariel could suppress my other half, but shouldn't the Hells be able to do the same if a deal is made?

"We are here," Alvar said, stopping before a steel door towering over me. Glancing around at the many large steel doors, I giggled.

"They chained up?" I questioned, shifting my attention to the golden knight.

"With two large spikes in each shoulder and a blade into their heart and Dantain. They are not going anywhere." He explained pridefully, with his chin slightly arched and his back straight like a spear ready for war.

Pushing the doors that stung like fire open, I glanced at the palms of my hands that sizzled with a nasty blister. It was nothing serious, but what type of energy was this?

"You lived?" Alvar uttered in awe at my survival as I shot the man a death stare.

Stating nothing, I continued past the threshold and stared at the man strung up with chains. Smelling the heavy scent of blood, the echos of droplets that sang into a large crimson puddle at the base of this man's feet as a set of calm eyes fell upon me.

"Is it my time to die?" The strange man calmly claimed, looking like a steel angel with chains covering his body.

Pulling Noctem from my back, I shook my head, "Apologies, but I need your soul." I uttered, taking a step towards the stranger.

"You think you can pierce my skin with that needle?"

"I am going to enjoy eating your soul and gaining all your memories. You seem quite interesting. More so than this idiot who just tried to kill me." I explained calmly, resting Noctem onto his chest, covered in chains.

Cutting through the chains like it was air, the stranger's eyes grew wide as my spear met with skin. Piercing through his chest, Noctem began to devour his life force at a visible rate.

Pulling away all that he was, leaving only his soul and ashes that fell into the blood puddle. The strange demonic cultivator did not even get to speak before his Crimson Soul rested in my hands, burning with a magical flame.

It was pulsing like a heart. There was fear, terror, and just the right amount of curiosity to pique my interest. I was definitely going to bring him back to life as my personal devil.

Pushing the stranger's soul into my chest where my heart should be, a wave of intense unexplainable pleasure warmed my body. Words could not describe this heaven that was so much different from the one Lilith had me in.

It was as if I had returned to some version of me who sat on the couch and simply watched anime. It was perfect if perfect could exist without Lilith. It was home.

My body was burning up, but the heat only seemed to comfort me more. Listening to the popping of bones, growing more robust, the stirring of organs as they began to shed off my earlier weakness, I felt I was being reborn.

Captured in this feeling, I closed my eyes and chanted the Mantra of Abyssal Night. Refining the absurd amount of Qi possible into my body, I shuttered as I made a breakthrough, followed by another and another.

"DEVIL!" Alvar howled, drawing his blade, when an arm suddenly pressed upon his shoulder.

"Head to my office; it seems like you have taken it upon yourself to make this personal." Yu Lan coldly declared, shifting her gaze to me. She stared with caution.

"Open the other cells." I lustfully moaned but not before sending Lilith a booty call. She is getting pregnant tonight! FACTS!!!!

Pushing past Alvar, who I plan on tormented after a few more breakthroughs, I proceed to the other doors.

Noticing they no longer burned, I smiled, knowing my adaptation had already taken care of such weaknesses.

I had killed one out of the Ten Empyrean Kings, leaving Nine more!

Entering another chamber, my gaze shuttered before the monstrosity for a bit, but like before, Noctem tore into its flesh, sucking its external power dry, while I took its soul.

Absorbing number eight, the pleasure only grew. Making sure my adaptation didn't take away this feeling but instead gave me control over it. I proceeded to the next cell, then the next, till my body was shaking.

Shimmering with an almighty power, ancient marking oozing with such complexity, my gaze turned to that of strings and nodes. I didn't know why but at this moment, everything seemed to have made sense.

All the complexity within these markings that represented my soul adapting became bare and straightforward. There was nothing that didn't make sense. Even me, who was a new creature, seemed simple.

My brother Zariel had molded this type of body from scratch. Building and ridding the weakness my physique could possibly have. But to do so, he had to use his Mortal Dao.

'Dao of Perfection," I muttered, breaking through past World God into Demi-God.

My skin had begun to just about melt at the rapid change, but it was without pain. I was lost in pleasure and comprehension.

Things that should have been complex were visible. I could see the past, the present, and the future. There were seven of them, each of them representing an illusion that could come to pass. They were not real, but should one wish it. They could pull such an illusion into creation and make life.

I could see it all with these strings... Even Zariel himself, who in turn, was holding a strange blade that howled an orderly chaotic force.

He smiled, turning to me from far beyond the thirty-three heavens, snapping his fingers that sealed my eyes; he spoke, "Learn to control what you see. Your eyes were altered by me. If you look too hard, you may offend someone. Patients."

Crashing to the prison walls, Yu Lan approached a little frightened for some reason.

"Get me, my wife."