Chapter 186: Evolve

The Evil G.o.d Lucifer was floating elegantly in front of Sila and his comrades. The distance of fifty kilometers was traversed in an instant. Lucifer followed Sebastian who teleported before him in just a second.

"Looking closely, it seems you are a mixed type. You have trained to the point where your qi has fused with your body. This will be regretful."

Sila felt Lucifer"s power. Even though Lucifer"s qi wasn"t mixed with other energy types like his, Lucifer"s pure qi was already so strong. The feeling he got from sensing Lucifer"s qi alone was enough for Sila to tell that Lucifer was stronger than any of the Emperor Rank monsters he had met.

"Who are you?"

Franz and Asura gaped. Honestly speaking, they wanted to run away; the further, the better.

"You fool... how dare you use such an impolite tone when talking to Lord Lucifer. Are you courting death?" Franz warned Sila by sending a sound transmission into his ears.

Sebastian had regained some of his strength. "Mister Sila, the great one in front of you is Lord Lucifer, who stands at the very summit of all qi-type beings, sir. He got out from Mister Lone Wolf"s card."

Sila was getting worried. Sebastian once told him that Lucifer was the strongest among the demons in the Seven Deadly Sins series and could easily annihilate an entire city with a single move. That time, Sila didn"t think it was realistic. However, after personally meeting Lucifer, he thought that what Sebastian had said to him was, in fact, an understatement.

"Lord Lucifer, may I know what this one can do for you?"

"Drop the unnecessary formality. I don"t care how you address me. You will die soon anyway."

Since Lucifer personally told him not to mind his words, Sila reverted back to how he normally talked. Well, he wouldn"t stand a chance against Lucifer anyway.

The reason why Lucifer didn"t attack him even though the evil G.o.d said he would die was questionable. Maybe Lucifer wanted something from him.

"Can you tell me clearly what it is that you want from me, sir?"

"I want you to pinpoint a certain location for me."

"Pinpoint a location? What do you mean?"

Sebastian didn"t want Lucifer to feel upset, so he hurriedly explained. 

"The thing is, Lord Lucifer would like to return to the Monster Realm, sir. He has sufficient strength and materials for creating the gate. However, for the gate to lead to the Monster Realm, a powerful item from the Monster Realm is required to act as a bridge. In that regard, Mister Sila"s right arm is perfect, sir."

Sila felt confused. "So, you just want a bridge?"

Lucifer replied, "Yes, that"s all I want."

"Then... why do I have to die?"

Sebastian explained, "Because when the gate is opened, Lord Lucifer"s qi will be flowing through your body, sir. With Lord Lucifer"s Omniscient Evil G.o.d Qi running through your veins, you will die, one hundred percent, sir. No one has ever survived."

Sebastian also briefly explained about the ability of Omniscient Evil G.o.d Qi to Sila.

Coming to know its overpowered ability, Sila was shocked. Dying turned out to be a trivial matter. The more important thing was him losing all the skills he had.

"Let me tell you. Your consent is insignificant. Regardless of whether you agree or not, you will provide a bridge," Lucifer declared.

Sila thought for a while before nodding. Since there was no other choice, he had to do it. "Fine. But I would like to heal my wounds and regain my strength first."

Golden qi flew from Lucifer to Sila. In the next instant, both Sila"s health and special points were fully restored and his body was completely healed. The feeling of Lucifer"s qi was warm and comfortable; nothing like what Sebastian had described.

"Done," Lucifer said nonchalantly.

Sila inspected his body and found that his body wasn"t just fully recovered, but became slightly stronger. It was his first time witnessing such a quick session of qi transmission, and it was even done without directly touching his body.

"Please give me some time to prepare myself."

"One minute," curtly replied Lucifer.

Sila turned to everyone. "To prevent an accident, I think all of you should leave this place; Miss Franz, Mister Asura, and Mister Sebastian. It seems you can"t help me even if you are here anyway. Moreover, Mister Sebastian is seriously injured."

Asura replied, "Of course. But... we can leave... really? Can we? Can you ask Lord Lucifer for his permission first? I don"t dare to speak directly to him like you are doing."

Asura"s voice was extremely soft, though Lucifer could still hear him.

"The others can go anywhere, but this kid has to stay."

Sila continued. "You heard him. Please take Sebastian back to the party. When I"m finished here, I will catch up to you."

Franz couldn"t help but speak her mind, "I believe you will appear at the rebirth zone instead. Won"t it be faster if we wait for you there?"

Sila shook his head. "Anyway, let"s meet again at the party. Oh, but can you take Mister Sebastian to my mansion first? Ask Julia to bring you there. This way, Mister Sebastian will recover faster."

Sebastian tried to oppose the decision, but Sila pressed his fingers on Sebastian"s acupuncture points first, rendering him unconscious. Under normal circ.u.mstances, Sebastian should have been able to resist Sila"s action, but not now. His body and mind were extremely weak.

"It"s easier this way. Go," Sila said.

Lucifer had been silently observing all of Sila"s actions until the time ran out. He said, "It has already been one minute."

"Quickly, go." Sila hastened them.

Without waiting any longer, Franz and Asura transformed back to their human forms and ran at their top speed, holding Sebastian by his armpits.

Once their bodies vanished from his line of sight, Sila turned his head back to Lucifer.

"How do I start, sir?"

"Extend your right arm, and hold this thing in your hand." Lucifer placed the Wrath Card on Sila"s right palm.

"Is this the Wrath Card? Why is it with you? Shuran was..."

"I killed the brat, so the card is mine. Stop asking pointless questions. Listen. I"m going to use my qi to destroy this card so that it will explode and generate sufficient energy to open the gate. The energy will flow through you, and you will have to endure the pain until the gate opens wide enough for me to pa.s.s through."

"You seem to possess a tremendous amount of power. Why don"t you open the gate directly? Why do you have to destroy the card?"

Lucifer didn"t answer Sila"s question and instead suddenly changed the topic.

"In the Monster Realm, there was a kind of monster called Ouroboros. Do you know of it?"

Sila shook his head.

"Ouroboros was a giant serpent eating its own tail. It is a symbol of alchemy and immortality. The myth has it that Ouroboros will continue to devour itself and later bring itself to life. Do you think that is possible?"

Sila thought about it for a while. "I don"t think it"s possible, sir. Although it can devour itself, there should be an end to its eating process. There will be a point where it can"t eat itself anymore."

"It was a foolish snake... Similarly, I have enough power to create a gate. But, to create it, I will have to become the gate myself. Since the gate and user are the same ent.i.ty, how can the gate pa.s.s through itself? Even I can"t do everything by myself. We have to admit that there are limits to what we can do first in order to surpa.s.s our limits."

Sila couldn"t tell if he was imagining things or not, but it seemed Lucifer was trying to teach him something important.

"Why did you choose qi type?" All of a sudden, Lucifer asked him a question.

"Come again, sir?" Sila was confused.

"Psychic type is more suitable for you. Why did you choose qi type?" Lucifer repeated the question.

Sila felt less tense in front of Lucifer. Sebastian had told him that Lucifer was an Evil G.o.d to be feared. However, for Sila, Lucifer was indeed formidable, though the Evil G.o.d didn"t seem fearsome like people had been saying he was. Still, it was true that he was self-centered.

"Someone else also told me my apt.i.tude for psychic power is greater than qi. Well, I can"t explain it myself. If I really have to give you an answer, I will just be frank and say I simply like qi."

"Prideful, arrogant, and self-centered. Good... Do you know that all the G.o.ds residing in Heaven are magic type? Only I prefer qi, and I have already shown them how strong I have become. There are noticeably less qi-type beings than other types. Some say that qi-type is weak. But who are they to judge us? Once I return, I shall teach them and remind them again who is the strongest."

Sila listened silently. He agreed with Lucifer"s point of view that he wouldn"t like someone else to judge him or decide things for him. Some would say his feeling was pride, but some would say it was haughtiness.

Feeling prideful of oneself was right or wrong? Sila wasn"t sure. Without feeling proud of our individuality, what would we become? Sila really couldn"t tell whether the sin of pride was essential for humanity or not.

"I shall start," said Lucifer.

Sila held the card tightly and gritted his teeth, preparing himself for the incoming pain. He quickly circulated Yin Yang Energy at full power.

The Wrath Card shone red as it came into contact with Omniscient Evil G.o.d Qi. It tried its best to resist Lucifer"s power which was about to destroy it.

"Satan, you don"t have a human to act as a medium. Being imprisoned like that, you can"t exert your power; even I can"t. Just admit your defeat and die to become the gate for me. You should at least be glad that your life will be useful to me, albeit as a small and pitiful gate which will only be open for a few seconds," Lucifer said to the Wrath Card and injected more power into the card, completely crushing it. 

Screams coming from the card echoed throughout the area, and Lucifer forcefully created the dimension crack, distorting the surrounding scenery. Lucifer unleashed more power, and the crack widened, showing a giant hole hanging in the sky. The gate was finally open, but the destination was unknown.

All that was left was for a bridge to guide the way.

"It"s your turn... What is your name?" Lucifer turned to Sila and asked.

"Sila, sir," Sila replied as he blankly stared at the dimensional gate that Lucifer opened without breaking a sweat.

"Don"t be a fool like the snake... Sila."

As he finished his sentence, Lucifer sent Omniscient Evil G.o.d Qi into Sila"s body, which flooded his body and spread everywhere. Sila felt like all of his muscles and organs were pieced by numerous tiny needles. The golden qi surged and magnified within his body.

The system sounds continuously went off, casually informing Sila each time he lost an equipped item or skill.

Couple"s Ring of Commitment, Dark Age Sealing Ring, Cloudy Tiger Card, Black Grim Reaper Card, Pink Slime Card, Seal skill, Unseal skill, Far Sight skill, Disguise skill, Weapon Crush skill, Strengthened Bones skill... all were destroyed.

Sila noticed that among the skills that were destroyed, neither qi-type skills nor slime-race skills were affected. As he was figuring out why that was the case, the pain intensified. Moreover, as the Dark Age Sealing Ring was destroyed, the egg with Lookhin inside was released from the ring.

"This is bad. Lookhin can"t protect itself at the moment!"

The remaining two items on Sila that had yet to be destroyed were the Right Arm of the Sealed One and the Mechanical G.o.d"s Protection. Both were produced from Orichalc.u.m so they were far st.u.r.dier than ordinary items. In addition, the former was a part of the Sealed One while the latter had a Gem of Catastrophe as a power generator.

"Right... the Gem of Catastrophe!! The Eternal Onyx... Evolve! Do whatever you can for me and Lookhin to survive...! Montra could use the Cloudy Pearl to ma.s.s-produce those absurd rings. I should be able to do the same...!"

The Mechanical G.o.d"s Protection responded to his request. It brought out his Greed Card that was now covered in cracks. The armor unraveled into a black net made of silk, and wrapped threads around both the egg and the Greed Card. The rest of the threads all came together and wrapped around Sila, forming a coc.o.o.n. At the same time, his right arm shockingly started to crack.

"Brat! You are incompetent at utilizing items. At this rate, I will die like Satan. Release me now! I will help us survive. I refuse to die as a mere card!"

The voice of a young man rang inside Sila"s head. Sila didn"t know who the voice"s owner was, though he could sense a strange power.

"W-Who...?"

"Release me!! Use the Greed skill before the qi destroys me...!!" The same voice urged repeatedly with a louder voice.

"M-Mammon...?"

Sila was finally aware of the voice owner"s ident.i.ty. He remembered Sebastian had once warned him not to converse with Mammon, the sliest and craftiest demon among the Seven Sins. 

However, this wasn"t the time to worry about such a thing anymore. Sila called out the name of the skill with a m.u.f.fled voice.

"...Greed."

The card that was now held within the black silky net broke into particles. However, this wasn"t the gla.s.s card that usually broke when the abilities of the Sins cards were activated. This time, it was the real card that broke into pieces, meaning the demon inside would forever be unable to return to a card state.

A purple beam shot from the card through the coc.o.o.n to the Mechanical G.o.d"s Protection. The symbol of three gears flew out from the armor and floated, before spinning at an extremely high speed.

The amount of silk threads doubled and it absorbed the egg into the coc.o.o.n. Sila"s right arm finally broke into pieces, though the silk net covered it tightly and acted as a bandage. The silk gradually became thicker and the armor was finally able to oppose Lucifer"s destructive qi.

The notifications telling Sila about the loss of his items and skills had stopped, though it might be because nothing was left to be destroyed anymore.

Sila"s vision was fading, and the pain had started to subside. Instead, he was left feeling uncomfortable. Lucifer"s qi and Mammon"s psychic power were competing against each other. Lucifer"s Omniscient Evil G.o.d Qi was fierce and overwhelming, but Mammon, who was utilizing the full power of the Eternal Onyx, didn"t yield. As a result, Sila"s body took the heaviest burden as it was in the middle of the two clashing powers.

"Don"t be a fool like the snake... Sila." Out of nowhere, Lucifer"s voice echoed in Sila"s head.

"The snake... Ouroboros...? I see... I finally understand, Lucifer..."

Sila lessened Yin Yang Energy which he had been using to oppose Lucifer"s qi. Soon, Mammon"s objection rang in his head. "Stupid Brat! What do you think you are doing? You will die if you don"t put up a resistance!"

Sila didn"t mind Mammon. He cancelled his power completely and allowed Omniscient Evil G.o.d Qi to flow freely in his body and veins. The evil G.o.d"s qi was soft and warm; like when Lucifer used it to heal him.

"That"s the correct answer, Sila. Accept your limit and borrow other"s strength to take the next step. There is a limit to how much you can do alone. The secret of Omniscient Evil G.o.d Qi is the hostility. The more you resist it, the stronger it becomes. Though, who would choose to leave themselves defenseless when facing against Lucifer?" Lucifer"s voice entered Sila"s ears.

The silky coc.o.o.n released Sila. He opened his eyes, seeing the evil G.o.d pa.s.sing through the gate. The other side of the gate was a beautiful, peaceful meadow. There stood a man and a woman, both showing gentle expressions. They were waiting to welcome the return of the Evil G.o.d.

The scenery was familiar. It was the same place Sila had seen during his dream in Colossia City.

The man standing was undoubtedly the Sealed One. The rightful owner of his right arm. In the dreamscape, the man"s appearance was blurry once Sila awoke, so he couldn"t remember what the Sealed One looked like.

However, seeing him again, Sila was surprised to realize the Sealed One"s real ident.i.ty.

"Mister Joshua?"

"I didn"t expect you to encounter me so soon, Sila." Joshua"s voice came from the other side of the dimensional gate.

"Why are you the Sealed One...?" Sila asked, still feeling confused.

Meanwhile, Lucifer had reached Joshua"s side, and the gate was moments from collapsing.

"The strongest in the game is naturally the game creator, don"t you agree? Please pay me a visit later, Sila, and I will tell everything you want to know... Although, please come using your own power next time. See you again."

Lucifer turned his head back to Sila, and the gate closed. Everything returned to normal and fell into silence as if nothing had ever happened. Sila collapsed on the ground, next to the pile of silk and debris. He had almost no health points left.

He inspected himself to check what was left. Apparently, aside from his right arm, which was gone, the rest of his body was intact. It was then that he noticed a golden orb, which flew into his mouth the moment he spotted it.

"Ouch! What is this?! Salty!"

Sila tried to puke. He attempted to insert his hand into his mouth, though he quickly stopped as he had to use his remaining left arm to support his body.

The system notification rang in his head.

The reward from the quest, Monster"s Soul, was destroyed. You have lost the ability to wield a secondary energy type.

You have achieved a certain condition. You have acquired the special skill: Evil G.o.d"s Essence.

You have achieved a certain condition. You have acquired the skill: Omniscient Evil G.o.d Qi - Level 0.

You have successfully inherited powers from more than one monster. You have acquired the special skill: Monster Heir.

Congratulations! You have successfully completed the quest: Search for the Sealed One. As a reward, you have now become the rightful owner of the Right Arm of the Sealed One. Since you have met the Sealed One directly, the Right Arm of the Sealed One has evolved to the final stage. Please refer to your system window for more information.

The Mechanical G.o.d"s Protection has evolved and become the Mechanical Evil G.o.d"s Protection, a cursed item with a possessed spirit.

Please submit the name of the spirit.

Sila wondered how his armor was possessed by a spirit. More importantly, who was this spirit? Was it Mammon?

There were many things that Sila didn"t understand. The armor that the system mentioned was now a pile of silk and armor debris, and his "final-stage right arm" was nowhere to be seen.

Sila tried to stand up even though his body was still weak. He was about to name the spirit as Mammon.

However, his legs gave out, causing him to crash against the ground. "MMamon."

The system registered the misp.r.o.nunciation name.

The name Mamon has been confirmed.

You have obtained a reward from Mamon. You have acquired the special skill: King"s Treasury.

Suddenly, the pile of silk and debris illuminated and returned to Sila, b.u.mping heavily against him. Normally, the resulting injury would be inconsequential. However, the current Sila was extremely weak and his health points were low. As a result, the crash silently led him to death.

You have died. Your level has decreased by 10. No items or money were lost. You will be revived in Zhongsuyuan City after two hours.

That was the last system notification Sila heard before his body dispersed as light, disappearing from the wasteland that changed his life forever.