Devil's Rise

"Ahh," I said as my fingers began growing, the bones dislocating and reforging themselves in my hand. My fingers transformed into long sharp jagged claws ready to rip the heart out of my enemies.

"Ahh," I said as the rest of my body transformed. My sparkling white teeth reformed into sharp fangs, jutting out to ready to crush the bones of my enemies.

"So my power, Ahh," I growled as the bones of my spine and back grew and reshaped. I kneeled on the ground in pain as two ma.s.sive jet black feathery wings jutted out of my back. Shockwaves emitted from my body as my transformation grew close to the end.

My entire skin became black as night as my eyes sunk within my skull. In place of eyes, there was only a grey-ish white light emitting from the sockets. My hair grew down my back, transforming from it"s normal black to grey-ish white. My horns doubled in length, giving off an eerie feeling on the top of my head.

My u003cSoul Eyesu003e were fully activated at all times in this form. u003cSoul Eyesu003e wasn"t even the proper term anymore, now it was u003cSoul Visionu003e a pa.s.sive effect. My u003cHollow Aurau003e also upgraded into a u003cHollow Domainu003e emitting from my new horns, churning around absorbing any stray souls caught in their wake.

I had ascended into my True Form, a Nephilim of Pride. Nephilim was one of the most powerful forms for a devil to take. In order to take this form, you had to have a trace of the bloodline of the fallen ones. My fallen bloodline most likely came from my mother, allowing me to take this form. I"ll have to ask her about it when I return to the Hudson Estate.

I spread my jet-black wings wide then pulled them back into my body, they were c.u.mbersome and unneeded unless I had to fly. I simply sat there and enjoyed the magnificence of my true form for a long time, getting accustomed to it. Maintaining this form was difficult, after about 10 minutes I gave up and transformed back into my devilishly handsome visage.

My pride was unyielding, I was now a Viscount. Eleven long years I had spent away from home to a.s.sume this form. I cried from joy, all the suffering I had endured to make it to this point was worth it. Two years spent attempting to make a living in a trifling halfing town. Two years blacksmithing under an old b.a.s.t.a.r.d with no prospects of advancing.

Three years stuck under the skirt of a monstrous companion. Four years fighting to remove the noose hanging over my neck, after I entered a shameless monsters domain. Eleven long years of trials and tribulations putting my life on the line. But I finally made it, I now could have a bit of standing within the Xertzul Abyss.

It was night time, I exited my cave to go find s.h.i.+ Da.

"s.h.i.+ Da, this young lord has broken through to Viscount. It"s time you fulfill your contract to a.s.sist me in getting the Serpent Cedar tree," I said.

"You"re alive?" said s.h.i.+ Da as he looked at me strangely.

"I was sure you had suffered from some type of qi-deviation from all the painful noises you kept making."

"Pitiful human, you know nothing of how devilry is practiced. I was simply shedding the bonds of mortality, embracing my true form. Of course, it wasn"t suns.h.i.+ne and rainbows," I said as I released my u003cHollow Aurau003e to get some respect from this human.

Right now I could only release my u003cHollow Domainu003e while in my true form. I had yet to gain enough understanding of the ability to use it alone.

s.h.i.+ Da unsheathed his sword preparing to fight.

"Don"t think because you"ve advanced in realm you can threaten me, devil," said s.h.i.+ Da as he waved around his sword.

I recalled my u003cHollow Aurau003e, now was not the time to fight with this hothead. Getting the Serpent Cedar tree was more important than crus.h.i.+ng his ego.

"Good, I was worried you had grown soft spending all this time mining. It"s good your blade hasn"t dulled these past years. Let"s go get that tree," I said as I walked out of the cave.

Chubs was sitting outside the cave. Thankfully I had left him with many meal supplement pills before going into seclusion so he wouldn"t go around destroying G.o.d"s precious resources.

"Let"s go Chubs, it"s finally time for me to claim my Serpent Cedar tree," I said as I hopped on the back of Chubs.

s.h.i.+ Da was right beside me mounting the red-feathered raptor, we swiftly moved through the Savage Land making it to the Serpent Cedar tree.

Nothing had changed since I first laid my eyes upon this beautiful tree, many t.i.tan.o.boas still graced its branches.

"I"ll handle the Viscount t.i.tan.o.boa, you lure the rest of them away so we don"t damage the tree in the battle," I said.

"You want me to lure all those Core-Formation beasts away Soulless, are you mad?" said s.h.i.+ Da.

"Do you want to handle the Viscount t.i.tan.o.boa s.h.i.+ Da?" I said.

"Surviving against one Nascent Soul beast is easier than attempting to survive an army of Core-Formation ones. How dare you try to send me to my death Soulless!" said s.h.i.+ Da.

"Fine, I"ll handle the Baron t.i.tan.o.boas. You better have a good enough distraction to pull the Viscount t.i.tan.o.boa away long enough for me to kill the rest," I said.

"Don"t underestimate me, back in my homeland I am known as the One Sword. I only need one sword to decimate anything in my path," said s.h.i.+ Da as he brought out his sword.

He then hacked at the top of the Serpent Cedar tree, right at the Viscount t.i.tan.o.boa. Half of the tree"s crown was cut off by his brutal chop. I was furious, how dare this human destroy G.o.d"s precious resources!

The Baron t.i.tan.o.boas became restless, while the Viscount t.i.tan.o.boa soared through the air with its jaws open towards s.h.i.+ Da.

I bypa.s.sed the Viscount t.i.tan.o.boa to engage the Baron t.i.tanboas lying in wait on the Serpent Cedar tree, immediately releasing my true form.