With a deep breath, the heat of combat and his rage slowly receded. Instead, his muscles tensed, and his lips curled into a smirk as he clenched his trembling fists.
He did it! He slayed that horrible titan without using his flames! And now, he would finally get the sixth remnant.
Impatient to absorb it, he slashed the creature's cheek open and entered its abyssal mouth.
Inside, a deep green fire crackled in the brazier, tongues of flames clinging to the flesh as if reluctant to feel the creature's temperature drop after its death.
If its behavior confused him, his eyes snapped wide in shock when it suddenly lunged at him and infiltrated the cracks in his skin.
'What?! Does it want revenge?' He pondered, his smirk widening through the pain. 'You're just making it easier for me.'
His body rumbled to life, chaos engulfing and assimilating the invader as knowledge flooded his mind. With it, the tall, almost insurmountable wall obscuring plasma mastery crumbled into a million pieces.
Overwhelmed, he gasped before blood drained from his face and his breath caught in his throat. 'What is this flame?! I would have died the second I used mine. SHIT!'
Sweating, his finger blurred to open his notification panel to confirm its abilities.
[You've assimilated the Remnant: The Jealous Heat. Your flames steal and replicate others' properties. Mastery over absorption and conversion of photons into plasma achieved.]
He glared at the notification for a moment, begrudgingly thanking Helel for its warning. Then, his eye brightened as the six masteries merged into one. He raised his palm. "Plasma!"
With the word, scalding arcs danced around his left palm. Sparks exploded outward, forming a corona as a ball that sent ripples through space took shape. Stay connected through My Virtual Library Empire
Unpredictable reactions followed, the ball twisting chaotically and altering the surrounding magnetic fields. But using the six remnant's powers, the related knowledge, and his chaos, he forced it into submission with a mere thought.
And now, he held a sun in his palm.
He clenched his fist, snuffing it with a satisfied chuckle. "You threw me into this place to watch me die. I hope you're seeing me grow stronger with each passing day. Wash your neck, gods. I'm leaving!"
With determined steps, he left the creature's mouth, absorbed its infernal essence, gaining 8.000 units before he stored its body, and retrieved the sixth dark ring. Then, he flew to the seventh layer.
The journey took a day this time, as he had already located the passage while clearing the abyssal spawns.
His brow rose when he emerged on the seventh layer. Where was the mindless swarm of spawns?
As he pondered, the clang of metal, the rustle of leather against skin, and a guttural voice drew his attention to the side.
"To which battalion do you belong, and what were you doing in the passage? Tell me who allowed you in."
Adam observed the speaker's straight horns and bony features. Glinting dagger-like fangs protruded from its huge mouth, and a somber beard cascaded down its muscular, dark and red torso.
His gaze moved from the uneven wing on its back to its shoulder plate, spiked armguard, and leather belt. Enchantments glowed on each piece, especially the two-handed morgenstern it clutched.
'Something is wrong. The craftsmanship suggests an organised civilisation, and it looks like a demon on the balor level. How?'
Meanwhile, the creature swung its weapon between them, violence flashing in its red eyes. "No deava is as short as you. Who are you?!"
An innocent smile blossomed on Adam's face. "Amusing, isn't it? I have the same question. Oh, tell me what a deava is, too."
However, the creature swung its morgenstern without warning, its voice thundering. "Intruder from the sixth layer, die!"
Adam watched the morgenstern close in, his smile shifting to a mocking grin as he raised his palm. He would get answers.
With a flick, his finger crashed through the enchanted weapon. Fragments and sparks reflected his blurring figure as he lunged. He gripped the demon by the jaws, the bones groaning.
"Answer before I blast your head like a watermelon."
The deava shuddered, knowing it would happen if he resisted. How did someone this powerful appear from the sixth layer, and why was he sane? No, only survival mattered.
"Wait! I'll tell you everything!"
Adam nodded, his innocent smile returning as he pulled his hand back. "Tell me about this place and how you escaped madness."
The deava massaged his cheeks, his lips twisting.
"We were all spawns until our lord appeared five years ago. I've seen him use strange, chaotic magic to transform us into deavas before he divided us into battalions to conquer the seventh layer." He leaned closer, whispering. "I suspect he borrows a god's powers."
Adam's eye narrowed into slits. Did this lord spawn in the abyss? Unlikely. So how did he enter this prison, and why? 'Through his contract? What does the god he follows want from the abyss?'
The situation was so unexpected that a hollow laugh escaped his lips as the deava continued.
"Deavas are still demons but from an eastern species with varying forms. For example, our general Sauru looks like a thunder djinn with a balor's muscles and sharp claws." He scratched his head. "I told you. Chaotic magic."
Adam exhaled. "Last question. Is your lord human?"
The deava paled, and his legs trembled at the mention. "Human? His real appearance is more monstrous than Sauru's! Three dragons' heads, scales as dark as the void, and a disgusting appetite. He eats brains every day, claiming he's the new Azi Dahaka!"
Before his words could linger, Adam's fist whistled.
The deava's head exploded into a bloody mist, his legs buckling powerlessly.
"You're unlucky: those names don't ring any bells."
He could have asked about the exit and the remnant, too. But this passage guard most likely knew nothing.
A smirk split his lips as his wings unfurled, and he lunged to the sky. "I'll ask your lord directly, instead."
AN: no chapter tomorrow. (father in hospital. :/)